Thomas A. Pope

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.

Thomas A. Pope
Corporal Thomas Pope
Born(1894-12-15)December 15, 1894
Chicago, Illinois
DiedJune 14, 1989(1989-06-14) (aged 94)
Buried
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
RankCorporal
UnitCompany E, 131st Infantry, 33d Division
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsMedal of Honor
Distinguished Conduct Medal (United Kingdom)
Médaille militaire (France)
Croix de Guerre (France)

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
  1. "Thomas A. Pope, 94; Last Surviving Army WWI Medal of Honor Winner". Los Angeles Times.
  2. "Thomas A. Pope, War Hero, 94". 18 June 1989.
  3. "Wwi Medal Of Honor Winner Thomas Pope". Chicago Tribune.
  4. "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
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