J.D. Thompson U.S. Air Force Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2024-05-03

Content Description

The J.D. Thompson U.S. Air Force Collection is a small collection primarily consisting of visual materials documenting the military service of J.D. Thompson during Vietnam War in 1971. A few materials relate to his broader military service from 1966 into the 1980s.

The strength of the collection is in the 238 photographic negatives and 25 prints illuminating Thompson's military service in Vietnam and the activites at Da Nang Air Base. The images depict the aircraft, flight crews, ground crews, facilities, and ammunition at the base. Aircraft pictured include General Dynamics F-111s, McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs, Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars, as well as various helicopters. Other individuals identified are Mike Connolly, Dick Dewing, Colonel Geegin, and Colonel Kovach.

The images are primarily black-and-white taken on 35mm film, although there are also some 120-format (6 cm square) negatives, some color prints, and some 126-format (28 mm square) color negatives present as well. The prints all vary in size. As an avid amateur photographer, Thompson took the majority of images although he does appear in a few himself.

Also present are items from a framed collage of mementoes including a portrait of Thompson; a print of an F-4E Phantom II signed by all his crew members; the flag from his survival kit (blood chit); and a certificate of membership for the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing Gunfighters Association dated 1972. Some textual materials are present in the collection as well including two logbooks documenting Thompson's flights from 1966-1984; a photocopy of a fighter pilot song book; the handwritten notes for the going away speech he gave to his squadron when leaving Da Nang in December 1971; as well as photocopies of various military and employment records providing an overview of his career.

In addition to the Vietnam War materials, there are a few things in the collection related to the 1986 bombing of Benghazi, Libya. A matted collage of thirteen color photographs depict fighter jets on that mission. The photos were likely taken by a crew chief and given to Thompson as a gift. There is also a British publication describing the attack.

Dates

Creation: 1966-1986
Creation: Majority of material found in 1971

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. Some materials may need personal information redacted before use. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: J.D. Thompson

J.D. Thompson was a fighter pilot with the U.S. Air Force's 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam War.

James Donald Thompson was born on July 5, 1943 in Port Townsend, Washington to Gerald Joseph Thompson and Irene Rose (Stringer) Thompson. His father had served in the U.S. Army, so the family moved around a lot as he was growing up. He attended Sequim High School, in Sequim, Washington, graduating in 1961 and then went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, graduating from there in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He completed his pilot training in 1968. He had additional training at the U.S. Air Force Air War College in Alabama, and also received a Master's of Business Administration and a Master’s of Environmental Engineering from the University of Utah in 1978.

During the course of his military career, Thompson was stationed variously at Yokota Air Base, Japan, where he was a back-seat co-pilot with the 80th Tactical Fighter Squadron and 36th Tactical Fighter Squadron; George Air Force Base, California, where he received combat training on the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II with the 4535th Combat Crew Training Squadron; Da Nang Air Base in Vietnam during the Vietnam War where he was an aircraft commander with the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, with the 4590th Tactical Fighter Squadron, where he taught other pilots on the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark; and then Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Before his retirement from the Air Force in 1986, he was serving as an operations officer with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing. He retired as a Lieutenant Corporal. Had he not retired then, he likely would have been involved in missions over Benghazi, Libya. During his service he earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses and fourteen Air Medals.

After his military service, Thompson worked as an Aerospace Engineer for General Dynamics, taught physics at the University of Maryland, and held positions as an environmental engineer working on the cleanup of superfund sites in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas.

Thompson was married to Cheryl Anne Gwinn and the couple had two children. In addition to his military and professional pursuits, he was an avid amateur photographer. As of 2024 he was living in Montana.

Biographical sketch derived from donor information and collection materials.

Extent

.3 Cubic Feet (1 2-inch legal size document box, 1 oversize folder (20x24"))

Language

English

Additional Description

Separated Materials

Various uniform pieces, a kneeboard with notes, a gear bag with its contents, and other items were transferred to the Museum's object collection. The blood chit originally framed in a collage with paper items was also transferred to the objects collection. Two books were transferred to the Museum's Library. For more information contact us.

Processing Information

Framed materials were removed from frames for preservation purposes. An album of 35mm negative strips and contact sheets was disassembled, also for preservation purposes, but pages kept in order. Photographic prints and negatives were sleeved. All materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes.