Edmund R Thompson

MajGen (USA Ret) Edmund Randall Thompson

29 May 1930
-

14 July 2019

General Thompson is a member of the
Military Intelligence Hall of Fame, and
recipient of many military medals including
the Legion of Merit and Defense
Distinguished Service Cross.

United States Military Academy Graduate 1952 Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army for Intelligence

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Army Service Medals Legion of Merit

MG Thompson’s decorations include: 2
• Distinguished Service Medal (1OLC)
• Legion of Merit (1OLC)
• Bronze Star Medal (2OLC)
• Meritorious Service Medal
• Air Medal (2)
• Army Commendation Medal (1OLC)
• National Defense Service Medal (1OLC)
• Defense Superior Service Medal
• Army and Overseas Service Ribbons
• Vietnam Service Medal (6)
• General Staff Identification Badge
Ed was named to the first class inducted
to the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame,
Fort Huachuca, AZ.

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West Point

A lifelong Republican although, as a soldier, he would never show
it while at work. He and Anne represented Kennebunk at the 1988
Republican Maine State Convention for GHW Bush.

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Wedding date of his parents Edmund Burke Thompson, Jr. and Jessica Morrison (Gaul) Thompson.
June 7 1929 in Albany, NY

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General Thompson was born in New Rochelle, NY on May 29, 1930.

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Pictures from Ed’s photo album
in his handwriting.

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Ed loved his younger sister Elizabeth (Bets) who was born March 24, 1937 in Hartford, CT.

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Ed grew up in Wyndham, Connecticut 1930 - 1947
He loved to play with his toy soldiers.
He was a Boy Scout.
He liked riding his bike – even if he had an accident.

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At Western High School in Wyndham, CT, he was known by his friends and classmates as ‘Eddie’. He was Charter
Treasurer and Student Council Treasurer, and Manager of the Rifle Team, Cadet Company H.

Class of 1947

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Ed attended Sully’s Prep
School in Washington DC
before entering the
United States Military
Academy at West Point,
NY.

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West Point 1948 - 1952

United States Military Academy
Class of 1952

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Ed met Janet Genevieve Packard, born Oct 14, 1931 in Fort Lewis, WA, while at West Point.
They married on June 4, 1952 in the West Point Chapel, divorced in Oct 1970.

Feb 4, 1951, Portland Press Herald

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After graduation, his first assignment was with the 4th Pack Artillery (PAC) Battalion at Camp
Carson (now Fort Carson), CO, where he learned to snow ski, a lifelong passion.

2nd Lt - Battery commander – road march 14 days to Camp Hale in the Rockies, Leadville CO

Andrew Randall Thompson was born on April 21, 1953, Camp Carson, CO

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From April 1954 to February 1957 he served in Hokkaido, Japan, Chitose 2, Camp Crawford, then with the 77th
Field Artillery Battalion at Camp Haugen. Promoted to 1st Lt he served one year as Aide-de-Camp to the Divisional
Artillery Commanding General, BG Orlando Troxel, 1st Cavalry Division. He met and worked successfully with his
G2 executive officer 1st LT Richard Wheeler, Barb’s dad.

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The Thompson & Wheeler families became friends and neighbors, with Janet & Anne raising children and
organizing their social lives. Larry Wheeler and Ricky Wheeler played with Andy. Barb and Linda were born
at the Camp Haugen Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) in Amori Prefecture, Hachinohe, Honshu, Japan.

Barbara Roanne Wheeler was born Jan. 4, 1955 Linda Genevieve Thompson was born Aug. 23, 1955
The only business card found in Barb’s baby
book was from Lt Thompson.

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Capt. Thompson attended Syracuse University in 1956 to 1958 earning Masters and Doctorate degrees in Geography
from the Department of Social Science.
Matthew Edmund Thompson was born on Feb 27, 1957 in Syracuse, NY.

He joined the West Point Department of Social Sciences as a Professor of Economics, Political Science and
History in the from 1959 to 1962.
Harry William Thompson was born Oct 1, 1959 in West Point, NY.

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Recruited to Intelligence, he served as a MAAG advisor in Cambodia and Aug 1965 – after living for a month or so
Vietnam during 1963 and 1964. Major Thompson attended the Command with Grammie Packard at her row house
and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS from August 1964 to June on R Street NW in DC.
1965. Transferred to Washington D.C. in June 1965, he was assigned to the
Office, Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence.
The family lived for a month or so with Grammie Packard at her row house
on R Street NW until they purchased their home at 5104 N. 14th Street,
Arlington, VA.
Ed with Hunking Mariner ‘Hunky’

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In 1968, the Thompsons built a six-sided cabin at Lake of the Woods in Fredericksburg, VA which everyone enjoyed together
and with friends for many years. Ed added a flag pole, front porch and enclosed a few bedrooms. He cut wood for the
central hanging fireplace, put a picnic table in the backyard, the kids slept in the loft and we had a boat for water skiing.

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Ed’s next job was serving as Commander, US Army Field Detachment "O" through the
summer of 1968. That November, LTC Thompson became G2, 25th Infantry Division in
Vietnam, and later Special Assistant to the Assistant Chief of Staff, G2, US Army Vietnam,
returning home in late 1969.

Ed began a decades-long avocation for running, later participating in the
first Marine Corps Marathon and many Boston Marathons.
Through July 1970, Ed was assigned to the Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs), then attended the
Industrial College of the Armed Forces, graduating in June 1971.

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Ed married Catherine ‘Anne’ Ridenour Wheeler on December 3, 1971 at Arlington Hall, VA.

Colonel Thompson commanded the 116th Military Intelligence Group, Fort McNair, from June 1971 until October
1972.

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Ed had assignments in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel until 6 June of 1975 when he was
promoted to BG. He commanded the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency (USAINTA), Fort Meade, MD, through August
1977 where he worked with Ingo Swan and Mary Ann Macy.

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From 29 August 1977 to 1 November 1981, Major General Thompson served as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence
at the Department of the Army headquarters, relocating to Quarters 12A, Fort Myer and The Pentagon. He ran to work
often even though he was assigned a car and driver.

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He was honoured with distinguished service medals at Pentagon ceremonies.

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He worked with interesting people at The Pentagon.

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Ed and Anne traveled around the world with his job, often with armed guards, here in China.

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Foreign Travel with US Army

Nicaragua Switzerland
And many more
Valley of the Kings, Giza & Luxor, Egypt countries…
They also attended
many embassy
receptions in DC.

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This is one of the only time his secret work was in the news.

This photo was taken at Abu Simbel in Egypt, very near
to the Sudan border. That is LTG Patrick Hughes with Ed.

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In 1982, after four years as the ACSI, Ed was named the Vice Chief of Staff & Deputy Director for Management and
Operations of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), retiring in May 1984. They moved to Quarters 16B at Ft. Myer.

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Here are a couple of stories from LTG Patrick Hughes who worked with Ed:
Story 1

General Thompson like to visit Japan. The main draw for him – aside from professional activities – was to commune with Harry Fukuhara, a retired Army Colonel and MICEP at
the 500th MI Group. Harry would cook – personally cook – every time General Thompson came to visit. He would make tempura of all kinds but I think General Thompson liked
the seafood best. He did also like the vegetables. I was a mere Captain at the Special Security Office at Camp Zama, which also served units in Tokyo, so it was a great experience
for me to be the escort for General Thompson on more than one occasion.
He was very interested in the “retired” Japanese intelligence officers (from WWII) who worked for us under the 500th MI. He and Colonel Dick Brown would go over the manpower
listings and worry that when they all died out, we would never be able to replace them no matter what anyone said. For example, one of their favorites was a Japanese officer of fairly
high rank who was the intelligence officer in Harbin during the Japanese occupation of China. He read, could write, and of course spoke the Chinese dialects of the region. There was
no one else like that. That small story points up a great professional trait of your father. He did his best, in detail you could not imagine, to lay the groundwork for future intelligence
activities and to preserve capability in the face of bean-cutting grey eyeshade guys. I know. I saw him do it and I read his backchannels.
During one visit to Japan, most of the Army military intelligence officers serving openly in Japan were assembled for a cocktail party in his honor. It was at the very nice Camp Zama
Officer’s Club, in the ballroom, so there was a fairly big crowd gathered below the crystal chandeliers that set the room off. I was among the people in a circle who were talking to the
General and hearing from him on whatever the conversation included. He was holding a drink in one hand and expressing a view about something that included moving the other hand.
He was dressed in the Army Green uniform and of course was much in demand being the ACSI.
As he and perhaps 10 or 12 others were standing under the biggest chandelier in the middle of his holding forth on an issue dealing with Vietnam, a sharp and fairly long earthquake
occurred. Panic ensued. Most of the many other people in the room were moving toward exits and there was some yelling and expressions of shock and fear. The chandelier shook and
swayed and threatened to come down. General Thompson was erect, speaking in his quiet but authoritative voice. He never missed a beat. He kept talking, kept using his open hand
and arm to reinforce his words, and frankly made everyone else feel…somehow inadequate. He wasn’t scared. He did not panic. He did not run for an exit. And I think he thought others
shouldn’t either. I was standing by his side – once again the loyal escort officer attending to our General. To my General. I can’t be sure, but as the earthquake passed, since I was still
there and other were not, I passed a kind of test. He winked at me. I knew then that this man had some steel I didn’t previously see in his normal gentlemanly manner. Little things like
that can make a big difference along the way.
Pat Hughes

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Story 2 - from LTG Patrick Hughes about working with Ed:

I was Major Hughes of US Army Foreign Liaison, a little-known and under-appreciated section of the OACSI – having been assigned there following Command & General Staff College
by…General Thompson. He called me into his office one day and said he had heard I could draw and maybe do graphics work (by hand – before computers) and he would like some help.
I was to tell no one, but he outlined his idea for the project and gave me a week to come back to him with some drawings. I went away and told no one including my immediate boss, a
full Colonel who wanted to know what every Major under his control was doing at every moment. Thus I had to sneak around and lie and take breaks as distant bathrooms. This was in
the old Pentagon, and harder to do than you might think. I spent a few hours hiding in the Goal Post snack bar in the basement, which was well known for including substantial
cockroaches in its fare.
Long story short – I gave him the original rough drawings and designs, drawn to his specifications, for the MI Corps logo that he is correctly credited with imagining and bring into fruition.
This cemented our relationship. I was his trusted agent for a number of things he didn’t want anyone to find out about.
One day he called me to his office again, this time with my boss, the Colonel who headed up Army Foreign Liaison, R.T. Colonel Woodrow, and three Lieutenant Colonels including Mick
Daly, Sergei Demyanenko and Maynard Nelson. Other Full Colonels were present, Chuck Alston, and Norm Wells, among them. I was Major Hughes, and along with one other Major,
Charlie Yancey, and a female Captain named Barbara Bachmeier (sic), the most junior officer in FL. He told us all that no one could speak about the mission he was going to give us until
absolutely necessary. Some things we should never talk about – period. We were to be the supporting officers for the Egyptian and Israeli military contingents to the Camp David Accords.
My job – escort the Minister of Defense of Egypt and his Staff and help them reach an agreement with their Israeli counterparts. Why did I get that job. Why, it was obvious. Because I had
been advising and assisting the Israelis, and so who would be better able to help the Egyptians? An Egyptian advisor was duly assigned to help the Israelis. It made complete but
counter-intuitive sense. The story is too long for tonight and I’m not sure it should all be told anyway…but trust me on this. General Thompson knew what he was doing, and we
succeeded.
I still can’t tell the details of some of the work I did for your Dad. He was a fine man as I am sure you know better than me, and a great Patriot.
PS2: I have info’d General Ed Soyster who knew your father very well and was a fellow West Point graduate. I have Also info’d Lori Stewart of the US Army Intel Center who is the Historian
there and also administers the MI Hall of Fame.
Pat Hughes
Patrick M. Hughes
Lieutenant General, US Army (Retired)
Cell: 703-407-5229

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Ed was an amazing Dad, fiercely protective and supportive, with a great sense of humor.

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Fabulous Grandpa Grandpa & Charlene Playing tree monsters with Jake & Alex Hines 1993

Ben Grignon Mar 8, 1978

Looking after Jake at Harry’s wedding 1989

Storytime with Mike, Charlene & Amanda 41

Ed was a doting, active and loving Grandpa. These are pictures from Grandpa’s house.

Coco 42

Fabulous Uncle At the Farm in Missouri with Bets, Marvin, Ellen & Chad Kirby

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Family pictures from the 3 Bayberry Avenue home.

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Renovating and
moving in to
3 Bayberry Ave
Kennebunk, ME
1984

Moving in to Huntington Common
Kennebunk, ME
2013

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3 Bayberry Ave
Gooch’s Beach
Kennebunk, ME

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Active Retirement Kennebunk Maine
President New England Chapter of the Association of Former Intelligence
Officers (AFIO), President of the Kennebunk Historical Society, Board
Director of the Brickstore Museum and author.

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Sept 10, 1999, Larry Wheeler’s funeral, Kennebunk, ME J Lawrence Wheeler
B: 2 Aug 1948
Lima, OH
D: 3 Sep 1999
St Gallen, Switzerland

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