Lt Thompson Duties in Strange Lands Butler County Kansas

LT. THOMPSON HAD DUTIES IN STRANGE LANDS

By: L. W. A. November 10, 1966 - El Dorado Times

First Lieutenant Richard A. Thompson, USAF, continues to delight his El Dorado family and parents with highly interesting letters penned from whatever distant point of the globe may be his 'home' at the time.

Lieutenant Thompson, ten year veteran of Uncle Sam's flying corps, was born and reared in El Dorado, a son of Mr. and Mrs. George H. Thompson of 519 North Emporia. He is the husband of the former Sally Thomason, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Thomason of 915 West Pine avenue. She with five year old Mark and little Teri, age eight months, currently resides here at 1702 Lawndale.

His most recent well written airmail missives have come from the city of Bangkok in faraway Thailand. He left Travis AFB (California) on September 14, aboard an International Douglas DC-8 jet carrying 165 passengers plus crew. They had two-hour stopovers at Honolulu, Guam and Clark AFB in the Philippines, prior to landing at Bangkok.

He was processed for duty at Don Muang base, but a swift turn of events re-assigned him to the downtown headquarters office, which proved to be a most welcome surprise. He has distinction of being the sole lieutenant in the city office, all others of like rank having been placed at "up country" bases. He fills the specialist role of chief, programs control Branch of the Air Force Regional Civil Engineers (AFR-CE.)

Plan First Asian Trade Fair

The lieutenant rates Bangkok as something less than his ideal city. "Modern, but extremely dirty" is his appraisal, blanketed by intense heat and high humidity which is nearly unbearable on occasions. Civilization seems to be on higher plane, however than that of Saudi Arabia where he spent an earlier span of his career. Bangkok when he wrote his parents in late October, was preparing for its first Asian Trade fair, comparable on smaller scale to the New York World's Fair. This is to be followed by the 5th Asian Games, significant of the Olympics competition of Thailand.

A feature of his brief time in the strange land has been the flight to Konchanaburi, located near the site of the Bridge over the River Kwai, embattled structure of World War II history which became top billing as a successful motion picture production. The bridge now has been transformed to a railroad bridge, but remnant of piers supporting the original bridge remain in evidence. Cemeteries in the area mutely mark final resting places of more than 8,000 soldiers and sailors - mostly British, Australian and Dutch - who lost their lives in Japanese combat while the bridge was being built.

Tours Up Country Bases

Among his official duties are regular tours of the "up country" bases of Uban, Udorn, Korat, Don Muang and Tahkli. While he finds these experiences educational and enjoys associations with the personnel, he still prefers his Bangkok downtown setting for the "daily diet."

Unfortunately he was not on hand during the visit of President Johnson to Bangkok in late October. The Chief Executive was picked up at the airport by helicopter and delivered to a field barely two blocks from their headquarters office. However, Lieutenant Thompson and a small group of other officers had left on October 25, on a mission to Clark AFB in the Philippines.

He has been living with other staff members, but about November 10 will move into an apartment in the southern sector of the city which he feels offers best advantages for the serviceman in Bangkok. Later he probably will share the quarters and expenses with one or two other airmen. For about 430 a month, a servant can be employed to cook, clean and do the laundry.

By agreeing to a two year "hitch", the lieutenant can arrange for his family to join him in Bangkok. However, due to climate, conditions of sanitation, and inconveniences, he has made no such definite pact. He is hoping for a transfer to Hawaii, and if this materializes he certainly will become a part of the family group once more.

Last update 11/17/2007