William G. Thrash | |
---|---|
Born |
Tifton, Georgia |
September 17, 1916
Died | July 4, 2011 Hilton Head Island, South Carolina |
(aged 94)
Place of burial | Beaufort National Cemetery |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
Years of service | July 14, 1939 – June 30, 1972 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Battles/wars |
World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
Awards |
Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Legion of Merit (3) Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart |
Other work | GT Construction, President |
William Gay Thrash (September 17, 1916 – July 4, 2011) was a retired United States Marine Corps three-star general and highly decorated Naval Aviator. He retired from active duty on June 30, 1972, after more than 30 years of distinguished service.
Thrash earned the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit during the Korean War, and a Gold Star in lieu of a second Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct as senior United Nations officer in a Chinese Communist prisoner of war camp.
William Gay Thrash was born in Tifton, Georgia, on September 17, 1916, to Jesse Thrash and Leila Gay. He graduated from Boys' High School in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1934. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia School of Technology in 1939. During his senior year, he was a member of Georgia Tech's famed gridiron squad, the Yellow Jackets.
Thrash was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on July 14, 1939. He was assigned to the Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard until June 1940, when he was transferred to Camp Elliott in California. He remained at Camp Elliott serving in various assignments as an engineering officer until transferred to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in September 1941 for flight training.
Promoted to first lieutenant in January 1942, Thrash received his wings as a Naval Aviator on March 18, of the same year. He was promoted to captain that May, then remained at Pensacola until September 1942 as an instructor. Thrash joined the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in October and was deployed overseas with the wing in November. While overseas, he was promoted to major in April 1943. During the period June to September 1943, he flew more than 100 combat reconnaissance missions over enemy territory in the Gilbert-Solomon islands area, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and five Air Medals. Returning to the United States in January 1944, he was assigned to Marine Fleet Air, West Coast, until June 1945 when he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Following another tour of overseas duty, where he saw service at Pearl Harbor, Saipan, and Okinawa, he was assigned to the Division of Aviation at Headquarters Marine Corps in January 1946. That October, he began a two-year assignment in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C.