Captain Thompson was the pilot of a F-51D Mustang night fighter with the 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 18th Fighter Bomber Group. On 11 June 1951, while on a combat mission, his aircraft crashed 8 miles northwest of Kaesong (Two miles south of Choun-ni, South Korea). His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

For his leadership and valor, Captain Thompson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.