In 1944 sixteen-year-old Rance Thomas left high school to serve in the US Navy. Mr. Thomas followed his brother’s path into service. Mr. Thomas served on USS Praire, USS Rogers, and USS Tucson during WWII. His service included time in the Pacific theatre with Japanese kamikaze pilots, who were always a genuine threat. We have Mr. Thomas’ complete Texarkana Arkansas VFW 4562 Veteran Spotlight to follow.
Welcome to our first “Veteran Spotlight”. Each week, we will use this space to take a quick look at the story of one of our local veterans.
Our first spotlight was not an easy one to get, because, with each question, his response was to bring attention not to himself but to someone else. It is our absolute honor to spotlight the military service of World War II combat veteran Rance Thomas.
In 1944 Mr. Thomas, like so many of his generation, enlisted in the Navy at the age of 16…even convincing his mother to go along with the story that he might be a bit older than the age he reported. As she already had one son in combat, this could not have been an easy process for his mother.Given his young age and a lack of a complete formal education, Mr. Thomas was initially restricted in his job availability but refused to let his lack of education stop him. Initially assigned to the machine shop ship USS Prairie, he earned his way to a position in the engine room of the USS Tucson, finally becoming the throttle operator of the USS Rogers. Mr. Thomas smiled as he explained the path he took from an untrained kid, to someone having the full control of the ships speed in his hands. While he described his time in the engine room as his best memory of his Pacific deployments, he described the absolute terror that the Japanese kamikaze pilots could cause as his worst memory. He said the planes would use the sun to hide any vision of their approach, but that the sound they made on their dive was unmistakable.
The story of Rance Thomas is one of dedication to his country, dedication to his family, and of dedication to those he served with. It is also one of humility, as with each sentence he explained that he wishes I could have talked to his brother as he was a true hero, or to someone, he served with as they really made a true difference…but in my book, Mr. Thomas is a hero. Thank you Rance Thomas for your service to our country.