Avenue of Heroes: William J. Thompson

Prepared by: Lisa Thompson (daughter)

Lieutenant Commander William “Bill” Joseph Thompson was born on Dec. 13, 1930, in Kansas City, Kansas. Bill graduated from Argentine High School in 1949 and married his high school sweetheart, Donna Rea Hinds, in 1953. In 1955, Bill earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of Kansas and enlisted in the U.S. Navy later that year.

In 1956, he attended flight school at Whiting Field in Milton, Florida, where he completed pilot training and received his gold Naval Aviator wings. In 1958, Bill and his young family moved to California, settling first in Imperial Beach while he was stationed at Naval Air Station North Island. The following year, Bill and his family moved into housing at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado.

Bill flew the C-1A Trader fixed-wing aircraft and completed two deployments to Vietnam aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63). During his second deployment, on Jan. 16, 1968, his C-1A Trader was preparing for a takeoff on a logistic mission to Da Nang, South Vietnam. While taxiing into position for takeoff, the aircraft veered due to a damp flight deck surface and went overboard into the ocean. A nearby UH-2C Sea Sprite helicopter was flying in the area and spotted the Trader’s tail section before it sank beneath the waves and rescued seven of the 10 service members on board.

Co-pilot Lieutenant Commander William J. Thompson, along with pilot Lieutenant Orville D. Cooley and Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class William H. Reedy, Jr., were killed in the crash. Their bodies were never recovered. Among the seven survivors, five were visiting U.S. Congressmen.

After the tragedy, Bill’s family remained in Coronado. His wife, Donna, was an active volunteer with the League of Wives group and later worked for the City of Coronado in the Planning Department until her retirement in 1998. Their children and grandchildren went on to attend Coronado schools. His military decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Antarctica Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Naval Reserve Medal, Navy Good Conduct Medal, Naval Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, and an Honorable Discharge Button.

Lieutenant Commander Thompson is memorialized with a marker in the MIA/KIA section at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, with Donna’s name inscribed on the backside of the marker. He is also memorialized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Avenue of Heroes military service recognition program is sponsored by the City of Coronado. Introduced in 2014, the program has honored 293 hometown heroes to date. On May 17, 2025, another 16 were honored. City staff and dedicated volunteers from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2422, the Coronado Historical Association and the Third and Fourth Streets Neighborhood Association oversee its operation.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Avenue of Heroes program – ten years of telling the stories of courage, sacrifice, and service that are woven into the fabric of Coronado.

The inspiration for the program emerged in 2011, when the community spontaneously came together to honor the passage of two fallen Navy SEALs to their final resting place. As news spread, members of the local Rotary Club handed out American flags, and residents lined Fourth Street in solemn tribute. As the procession neared the Coronado Bridge, a lone Navy SEAL stood at attention, saluting his fallen comrades. In that moment, it became clear: Third and Fourth streets were already an Avenue of Heroes.

That spontaneous beginning launched the program in May 2015 with 18 banners. Since then, the Avenue of Heroes has served as a powerful reminder of Coronado’s deep military roots and legacy of service.