He was among the last of the greatest from The Greatest Generation. Long-time columnist, storyteller, and historian, well-known WWII hero Bill Thomas has died. He was nearly 100 years old.
Thomas was born in November of 1923 in Detroit, Michigan to immigrant parents from Greece. Bill was raised in Greek traditions. His life spanned from the time of horse-drawn ice wagons for people’s ice boxes (as a young boy, he fell off an ice wagon and got his first stitches) to wondering if artificial intelligence would help him research his writing, from the time of Ford Model Ts to Tesla superchargers.
In his early years, Bill endured the hard times of the Great Depression. To earn some money, he became a paperboy. Expanding his customer base, he won an all-expenses trip to the 1939 World’s Fair in New York City. Quitting high school, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 30s, then worked in a defense plant helping to make aircraft engines for World War II.
In 1943, he enlisted in the Army and was assigned to artillery. As a forward observer, he had to find and climb tall trees or other structures to direct American artillery. He served in North Africa, made amphibious invasions into Italy and Southern France, then fought through Germany and finally Austria, a total of 565 days in combat. He was injured by enemy artillery fire, which earned him a Purple Heart.
Returning to the United States, he pursued the American Dream.
After a long-distance relationship, he married Soula and they settled in Southern California, where he bought a house with the GI Bill. He and Soula had three children, all graduates of Los Alamitos High School.
Bill never lost his spunk. After a career in business, Bill devoted his time to writing, and to veterans organizations. He held positions in both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion and volunteered countless hours to veterans’ issues.
One of his accomplishments was when he designed and created the Veterans Memorial Plaque now standing at the entrance to Seal Beach Pier. The plaque, dedicated on Memorial Day, 2004, honors all the men and women who serve or served from all branches of the U.S. military, and includes prisoners of war (POWs) and those missing in action (MIAs).
For the inscription at the top of the plaque, Bill wrote, “In Commemoration of all the Military Veterans of the USA of the past, present, and future who served in the six branches of service since the Revolutionary War.”
Bill loved that plaque and would often visit Seal Beach to speak or simply show the memorial to anyone who expressed interest.
Writing was his true passion. He taught himself how to use a computer, giving him access to the Internet to research, and to word processing to compose. He wrote a book on memoir writing, a novel, short stories, and a couple of self-help books.
He also created and contributed articles to several local newspapers through his column on veteran issues, “Veterans Voices,” right up into his 98th year. His stories and reflections from his past, from his boyhood and through his military service delighted many readers.
Bill and Soula moved to an assisted living facility in Stanton about five years ago. When Bill moved there, he set out as his goal, “I’m going to make five people laugh every day.” He sometimes introduced himself as, “The one Bill you don’t have to pay every month.”
Bill is survived by his wife of 72 years and his legacy includes three children, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.