About
Korean War (1950-1953)
Harwood Hobbs Thompson was born in Poultney, Rutland County, Vermont, on November 14, 1928. By 1930, he was living in the city of Schenectady with his family. He was a Nott Terrace High School graduate, but he also briefly attended Mont Pleasant High School. Before entering the military, Harwood was a student at Oswego State Teachers College.
Harwood was sent to Korea on December 1, 1950. He was a corporal serving with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division of the United States Army. On February 15, 1951, Harwood was reported missing during a battle close to Chipyong-ni, South Korea. It was later discovered that he had been captured as a prisoner of war. On May 19, 1951, he was killed while he was a prisoner from aerial strafing; his remains were never recovered. He is remembered at the Memory Gardens Cemetery and Memorial Park in Colonie, New York.
*Harwood's maternal uncle, Warren Tucker Hobbs, was a lieutenant in the U.S. Aviation, serving with the 103rd Pursuit Squadron during WWI. On June 26, 1918, he was killed by anti-aircraft fire over the lines near Ypres, Belgium.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry