Thomas A. Pope
Thomas A. Pope | |
---|---|
Born | Chicago, Illinois | December 15, 1894
Died | June 14, 1989 | (aged 94)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Army |
Rank | Corporal |
Unit | Company E, 131st Infantry, 33d Division |
Battles/wars | World War I |
Awards | Medal of Honor Distinguished Conduct Medal (United Kingdom) Médaille militaire (France) Croix de Guerre (France) |
Thomas A. Pope (December 15, 1894 – June 14, 1989) was a soldier in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions while under Australian command in the Battle of Hamel during World War I. For this action, he was also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal by King George V.
Biography
Pope was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 15, 1894. After the war, he was a district foreman for the Cook County Highway Department. He also served as a contact officer for the Veterans Administration. He died June 14, 1989. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. His grave can be found in section 35, lot 3157. Pope was the last surviving Army Medal of Honor recipient of World War I when he died.[1][2][3]
Personal life
He had a wife and three daughters.[3]
Medal of Honor citation
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company E, 131st Infantry, 33d Division. Place and date: At Hamel, France, 4 July 1918. Entered service at: Chicago, Ill. Birth: Chicago, Ill. G.O. No.: 44, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
His company was advancing behind the tanks when it was halted by hostile machinegun fire. Going forward alone, he rushed a machinegun nest, killed several of the crew with his bayonet, and, standing astride his gun, held off the others until reinforcements arrived and captured them.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Thomas A. Pope, 94; Last Surviving Army WWI Medal of Honor Winner". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Thomas A. Pope, War Hero, 94". 18 June 1989.
- ^ a b "Wwi Medal Of Honor Winner Thomas Pope". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ "POPE, THOMAS A." Army of Medal of Honor website. 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
Further reading
- Sanborn, Joseph Brown, and George Nathaniel Malstrom. The 131st U.S. Infantry (First Infantry Illinois National Guard) in the World War; Narrative-Operations-Statistics. Chicago: 1919. OCLC 554474
External links
- "Thomas A. Pope". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- "Thomas A. Pope". Hall of Valor. Military Times.
- "Arlington Cemetery Biography".
- 1894 births
- 1989 deaths
- American military personnel of World War I
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- People from Chicago
- Military personnel from Illinois
- Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)
- Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal
- United States Army Medal of Honor recipients
- United States Army soldiers
- World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor
- World War I United States Army personnel stubs