On Monday, July 15, Pilsen honored the memory of U.S. veteran George Thompson, who died on Friday, July 12, 2024, at the age of 99. As a member of the 16th Armored Division of the United States Army, he liberated Pilsen in May 1945 and after 1991 was one of the most prominent veterans who regularly visited the West Bohemian capital for the Liberation Festival. George Thompson won the hearts of Pilseners and will not be forgotten. Pilsen said goodbye to him with a commemorative act at the Thank You America Memorial and also laid flowers at the 16th Armored Division Memorial.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the City of Pilsen, Governor of the Pilsen Region Rudolf Špoták and the American Ambassador to the Czech Republic as well as representatives of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, city districts and other organizations. “I am honored to be able to pay tribute with humility to an outstanding man and a great patriot, Mr. George Thompson. And I also extend my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones,” said Bijan Joseph Sabet, US Ambassador to the Czech Republic, during the commemorative act at the Thank You America Memorial. In his words, George Thompson became a longtime friend of Pilsen and the Czech people. “Today, I want to commemorate his memory and also appreciate the friendship between our countries. I have said many times that US-Czech relations have never been stronger. And while I often speak of cooperation between our countries, I am convinced that the ties between our people are even stronger,” said Bijan Joseph Sabet. He has visited Pilsen many times as ambassador, but said he was laying a wreath for the third time at the Thank You America Memorial in honor of the American soldiers who liberated Pilsen. “I would also like to say: Thank you, Pilsen. Thank you, Czech Republic. Thank you for remembering. Thank you for honoring great Americans like George Thompson. And thank you for your friendship,” he added.
“George Thompson was one of the symbols of the Liberation Festival. He returned to the Czech Republic, which he helped liberate, in the early 1990s and has returned regularly since then, speaking many times about the horrors of the war. Pilsen was, in his words, his second home. He risked his life for our freedom. His courage will always remain in our memories,” honored the memory of George Thompson Rudolf Špoták, Governor of the Pilsen Region, at the Thanks You America Memorial.
George Thompson was born on October 1, 1924 on a farm near a small town in Kansas. He enlisted in the Army as a volunteer at the age of nineteen. After completing his training, he joined the 16th Armored Division. His route to Czechoslovakia took him through France and Germany. On May 6, 1945, he participated in the liberation of Nýřany and then Pilsen, from which the soldiers proceeded via Mariánské Lázně back to Reisenau, Germany. He returned to Czechoslovakia for the first time in 1991. “I know of no other country where people value their freedom more than the Czechs,” George Thompson used to say in his speeches.