The girl, which Thompson called a "golden girl," caught the soldier off guard one foggy morning in 1963 when he and several others were generously distributing bags of peanuts and candy at Christmas time to families in the Golden Horn — a place between the Mar Mar and Adriatic Sea in Turkey.
"That's where the very, very poor Christians lived. They don't allow you to go into their homes because they're so poor, so we just got down on the street and gave them out," Thompson said.
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"It's not a very good time for a soldier to be away from home," he said.
Thompson was then approached by a girl 8-10 years of age. Thompson said he began to hand her the bag of candy and at that time the girl spoke out to him, saying something he'll carry in his heart forever.
"She looked at me and said 'Sergeant you must be a Christian,' in perfect English," Thompson said. "It just got to me and I jumped up in that weapons carrier and it was a very emotional moment."
So, 46 years later Thompson continues to carry out the promise he made to himself and crowns at least one young girl a day his golden girl, of course, after treating them to a crisp one-dollar bill.
"It's something I'll probably do until the day I die," he said. "I just love the girls' reactions, but I get a kick of the mothers'."
He'll always approach the mother of the girl before distributing the dollar and often, their reaction will be one of gratitude and sometimes disbelief. Some, he said, will remember his face, approach him and thank him again for a meeting they had prior.
"I think it's a really neat thing," said Cindy Ekberg, Thompson's caretaker. "It brings smiles to people's faces.
At a recent confrontation, Thompson met a family in line at Wal-mart in Wahpeton. The girl he had given $1 to said to him she'd share half with her younger brother.
"You're the golden girl today," Thompson told her, handing her another one-dollar bill to give to her brother.
Each girl he meets, Thompson said, is logged into a book, which he keeps classified and will as long as he's alive.
"I will never forget that girl's face as long as I live, and what she said — that's what was important," Thompson said. "That's the last thing in the world I expected."
Mark wrote on Jun 22, 2009 12:14 AM:
Aaron wrote on Jun 21, 2009 6:55 PM:
M. Shaw wrote on Jun 21, 2009 1:12 PM:
The Golden Horn in Istanbul is an offshoot of the Bosphorus Strait. It is pretty far from where the Sea of Marmara and the AEGEAN meet.
Sweet story. She was probably Greek.
MS "
Jo Van Hovel wrote on Jun 21, 2009 12:18 PM:
I worked with Jack Thompson at the Court
House. He is indeed a fine man. I remember him doing wonderful deeds for
our county and for each person that entered his office. May God Bless you
Jack it was great to serve with you.
Jo Van Hovel "
buster wrote on Jun 20, 2009 12:00 AM:
darcy wrote on Jun 18, 2009 9:33 AM:
Reader wrote on Jun 16, 2009 12:16 PM:
Mr. Thompson will probably never know how he has touched those golden girls lives and made them feel special.
God Bless You Mr Thompson for your kindness. "