Colonel Joe Thompson and the Battle for Apremont

October 1, 1918: The American 28th Infantry Division, made up mostly of Pennsylvania National Guardsmen, had spent three days taking the town of Apremont as part of the Meuse-Argonne offensive.  Elements of the 55th Infantry Brigade, about 400 Soldiers, held Apremont on the morning of the 1st, when the Germans launched two Infantry regiments in a fierce counterattack.

 Major Joe Thompson, the former football coach of the University of Pittsburgh, moved from one position to another along the line, encouraging his men, directing their fire, and urging them to hold their positions.  They repulsed the attack and used the enemy withdrawal to advance to the next line of German-held trenches.  Thompson's Battalion included six tanks accompanying the infantry, but five of them were hit or broke down in No Man's Land.  With his infantry companies pinned down by a machine gun nest, Thompson ran to the final tank and acted as a forward spotter to direct its fire effectively.  Three times he ran forward to assess the enemy position and direct the tank to maneuver into an out-flank position.  Once they had reached a lethal close range of the nest, Thompson ordered the gunner to fire and the tank blew apart the nest, gaining the trench line for the Americans.

Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, celebrated Thompson as "Pitt's Fighting Athlete," juxtaposing "Coach Joe" with "Colonel Joe" in this poster above.  Colonel Joe is buried in Beaver Falls, with a humble gravestone, in keeping with the manner of the modest man who went above and beyond the call of duty in an amazing act of valor on this day in 1918.