John William Thomason, Jr. (Huntsville

Huntsville, Texas

Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, 28 February 1893 - 12 March 1944, San Diego, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

) was a Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

 in the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

, as well as an author and illustrator

Illustrator

An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...

 of several books and magazine stories.

Military and literary career

The son of a physican and the grandson of Confederate General James Longstreet

James Longstreet

James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...

's chief of staff

Chief of Staff

The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...

 Major TJ Goree

TJ Goree

Thomas Jewett "TJ" Goree was a Confederate Lieutenant in the First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. By the end of the War he was promoted to the rank of Captain. He was one of Lt. General James Longstreet's most trusted aides.-Early life:Thomas J. Goree was born on...

, John Thomason enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 6 April 1917 and served until his death in 1944. In 1917 Thomason married Leda Bass; they had one son, John "Jack" W Thomason III, born in 1920. Serving as a Marine in World War II, Jack died in an airplane crash in Calcutta, India, in 1947.

During World War I Thomason served as the executive officer of the 49th Company, 1st Battalion

1st Battalion 5th Marines

1st Battalion, 5th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors. Nicknamed Geronimo, it falls under the command of the 5th Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division...

, 5th Marine Regiment and was awarded the Navy Cross

Navy Cross

The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...

. Thomason served in, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. He led the Horse Marines at the Legation

Legation

A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....

 in Peking, commanded the 38th Company in China, commanded the Marine Detachment of the , and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel commanding the 2nd Battalion

2nd Battalion 6th Marines

2nd Battalion, 6th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and...

, 6th Marine Regiment at San Diego then was assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence

Office of Naval Intelligence

The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...

 prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...

. At the beginning of American involvement in World War II Thomason was assigned to Admiral Chester Nimitz

Chester Nimitz

Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S...

's staff as an inspector of Marine installations and visited Guadalcanal during the fighting. The U.S Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

  was named after him.

During a posting as commander of the Marine Detachment Naval Ammunition Depot in Dover, Delaware

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

, he met an old Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Base Quantico, sometimes abbreviated MCB Quantico, is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly in southern Prince William County, northern Stafford County, and southeastern Fauquier County...

 classmate and comrade in arms from the World War, Laurence Stallings

Laurence Stallings

Laurence Tucker Stallings was an American playwright, screenwriter, lyricist, literary critic, journalist, novelist, and photographer...

 famed for authoring What Price Glory?

What Price Glory? (play)

What Price Glory?, a comedy-drama written by Maxwell Anderson and critic/veteran Laurence Stallings was Anderson's first commercial success, with a long run on Broadway.The play depicted the rivalry between two U.S...

. Stallings introduced him to the editor of Scribner's Magazine

Scribner's Magazine

Scribner's Magazine was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. Scribner's Magazine was the second magazine out of the "Scribner's" firm, after the publication of Scribner's Monthly...

 who engaged Thomason to write and illustrate for the magazine whilst remaining on active duty with the Marine Corps.

Books

Thomason wrote and illustrated over sixty short stories and magazine articles and wrote and edited book reviews for the American Mercury magazine. His books include-

• Fix Bayonets (1926) (short stories collection)
• The United States Army Second Division Northwest of Chateau Theirry in World War I (1927)
• Red Pants and Other Stories (1927) (short stories collection)
• Jeb Stuart (1930)
• Salt Winds and Gobi Dust (1934) (short stories collection)
• The Adventures of General Marbot by Himself (1935) (editor and illustrator)
• A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett of Tennessee by Himself (illustrator only)
• Gone to Texas (1937) (novel)
• Lone Star Preacher (1941) (novel)
• -- and a Few Marines (1943) (short stories collection)

External links

John Thomason Jr at Handbook of Texas Online http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/TT/fth13.html

John Thomason Jr at American Heritage

American Heritage (magazine)

American Heritage is a quarterly magazine dedicated to covering the history of the United States for a mainstream readership. Until 2007, the magazine was published by Forbes. Since that time, Edwin S...

http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1993/7/1993_7_51.shtml

Leathernecks by John Thomason Jr http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/69719858/m/7820012451001

Thomason Collection, Newton Gresham Library, Sam Houston State University http://library.shsu.edu/about/departments/specialcollections/thomason.html