Richard Thomas

Prepared by the Witnesses of War team

Richard Thomas was born on 30 May 1918 in San Francisco, California. He joined the United States Army in 1940, completing basic training at Fort Ord before attending ordnance school at Aberdeen Proving Ground. His early service took him to Alaska, including Anchorage and Nome. After undertaking aviation cadet training, he was reassigned to ground service and eventually sent to Europe.

By December 1944, Thomas was a staff sergeant in Company H, 2nd Battalion, 422nd Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division, known as the “Golden Lions.” When Germany launched its Ardennes offensive on 16 December, his regiment was cut off and surrounded. Amid the confusion, Thomas volunteered to lead patrols through enemy-held territory, locating isolated American soldiers and guiding them to safety.

Over the following days, his actions helped bring approximately fifty American soldiers back to friendly positions. He also led a mission to recover desperately needed food, enabling his isolated group to continue resisting. His patrols captured German prisoners, destroyed enemy propaganda equipment and gathered valuable information about German positions. For his extraordinary heroism between 16 and 21 December 1944, Thomas received the Distinguished Service Cross, awarded under First U.S. Army General Orders No. 38 of 22 May 1946.

Thomas was subsequently captured and endured months as a prisoner of war, including prolonged forced marches with inadequate food. By the time American troops recovered him in 1945, he was severely weakened. In his later account, he described having almost no memory of the journey from his rescue to his return to his mother’s home in San Francisco.

Richard Thomas died in 2025.