Sergeant Clyde A. Thomason (May 23, 1914-August 17, 1942) was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism at the cost of his life while leading an assault on Makin Island on August 17, 1942. Thomason was the first enlisted Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II.
Clyde A. Thomason was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 23, 1914, and after his graduation from high school there, traveled widel...
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Sergeant Clyde A. Thomason (May 23, 1914-August 17, 1942) was a United States Marine who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism at the cost of his life while leading an assault on Makin Island on August 17, 1942. Thomason was the first enlisted Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II.
Clyde A. Thomason was born in Atlanta, Georgia on May 23, 1914, and after his graduation from high school there, traveled widely throughout the United States in a "jalopy" with companions. In December 1934, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in Savannah, Georgia. Although he was named for his father, at the time of his enlistment he dropped the "A" of his father's name and became known in the Marine Corps simply as Clyde Thomason. This was the name under which he enlisted in 1934 and was the name subsequently used in official Marine Corps records. He later served in the Marine Detachment of the USS Augusta, Flagship of the Asiatic Fleet, and was honorably...
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