Nils George Thompson

U.S. Army
2004-2005
KIA - Iraq

Nils George Thompson was born on August 3, 1986 to Nils and Frances (nee Kamienowski) Thompson. He attended St. Teresa’s Elementary School and St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. He was a deeply religious Catholic and New Brighton native who grew up playing with GI Joes. He wanted to join the military as a young boy as his grandfather and uncles had all served.

He moved with his family in 2000 to Confluence, PA a farming community southeast of Pittsburgh where they raised cattle, sheep, goats, chickens and eventually ran their home as a Bed & Breakfast. Nils loved the outdoors and helped build fences, sheds, a new porch and treehouse and tended the livestock. He graduated from Turkeyfoot
Valley High School.

As soon as he turned 18, he enlisted in the Army becoming a member of the Stryker Brigade based out of Fort Lewis, Washington. In February 2005 he was deployed to Iraq. He loved to read the Bible and attended Bible study up until his death. His squad members and his squad chaplain said they witnessed Nils talking about the Gospel to
others trying to bring them closer to Jesus.

In his brief time in the military, he received the Army Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service medals and the National Defense Service Medal. He was killed by sniper attack in a “guard hatch position” in the Stryker vehicle on August 4, 2005 a day after his 19th birthday.

He was survived by his parents and sister, Lillian.

Nils’ platoon had been scheduled to return to the US that October. He told his cousin, Jeff, when he returned to Staten Island, he wanted to “...buy $100 worth of Ralph’s Ices.”