Richard Francis Thompson • Air Force • 1926 – 1945 • World War II • United States Air Force, 2nd Lieutenant Richard F. Thompson was a B-29 Superfortress Bombardier in World War II. On January 3, 1945, this aircraft took off from Isley Field on Saipan armed with incendiary bombs as one of ninety-seven B-29s on a bombing mission against the port facilities and urban areas of Nagoya. On return flight from the bombing mission, the B-29 crashed on Anatahan Island, killing the entire crew on impact. Stranded on Anatahan Island was a group of Japanese shipwreck survivors. After the B-29 crashed, the Japanese survivors used the metal from the aircraft to fashion crude implements such as pots and knives. The oxygen tanks were used to store water, clothing was made from the nylon parachutes, and cords were used as fishing lines. 2nd Lieutenant Richard Thompson is buried at Bethlehem United Methodist Church Cemetery in Thornton, PA.