Terry Thompson: Boat Racer and Animal Lover

[Ron Hill]

Great sadness

Gents,
There is a lot more to this tragic story than you will ever know if all you listen to is the media.

I am a close friend of Terry Thompson. He was a co-pilot with me for the past 8 years. He also was a boat racer ! He still holds an old 1/4 mile record for Blown Alcohol Flats at about 158 MPH. These were in the days of open cockpit drag racing.

The tragedy to me is not the loss of his beloved animals but the tragic death of a great American who's life will never be remembered for what he should be famous for, but instead for the spectacle of his death. Terry was a Viet Nam war hero, a door gunner on Huey helicopters. He suffered from what we all now call PTSD. Of course they called it 'battle fatigue' in WW II but for us Viet Nam guys there was no name for it and the public has largely ignored it's impact on thousands of Veterans. Terry suffered untreated for 45 years, too proud to ask for help from the VA. But no stranger could have a conversation with him for 3 minutes without him starting to talk about Viet Nam. It never left him.

He was a talented pilot who could fly anything. He loved to go formation flying with his aviator buddies in Stearmans, old warbirds, even Corsairs and a P-51. He even owned a Cassut racing airplane. I flew Turboprops and a jet with him.

He played the guitar and was a member of a couple of local bands. He didn't drink, smoke, or take a drug in his life. He was a gifted horseman and riding instructor.

He started (then sold) 2 successful business after he got out of the Army; a used car lot and a motorcycle shop. He raced flat-track motorcycles and sold Harleys.

90% of the animals he cared for were 'rescued' from people who could no longer care for them. Most were given to him sick, lame or just too big/expensive to keep. His Vet bills were a constant drain. He bought about 1,000 pounds of chicken a month to feed them. He had no children but cared for his animals the best he could otherwise they would have been put down or abandoned. People from all over the country asked him to take their animals...I don't think he ever said, 'no'.

Terry was sabotaged by his sisters over a land dispute. They falsely accused him of animal mistreatment when really all they wanted was to force the sale of the family farm that was co-owned by them and Terry.

He was sent to jail for pleading guilty to owning guns (Some were automatic military weapons) without serial numbers. Though he had let his Federal Firearms licence expire after getting out of the gun business, they prosecuted him for still having them in his basement is a sealed wooden box. He had 130 guns and only 36 bullets ! He pleaded guilty because he could either pay the lawyers to fight ATF or feed his animals....he chose to take the jail time and feed his animals.

While he was in jail, his wife Marion, a retired school teacher was unable to meet the work load by herself. She was his high school sweetheart, they had been together for over 40 years. She shared his passion for caring for the animals. They worked night and day bottle feeding many of the baby cats and bears nursing them to keep them alive.

Unknown to me, she left him while he was in jail. He came home to a mess. Betrayed and humiliated by the Army, his government, his sisters and ultimately the love of his life, he finally gave up. Now you know the rest of the story ! Mike Raceboat 61-S

[Gene East]

Very sad.

I'm glad you came forward with the truth in this matter. So many times we hear only what the media wants us to hear!

[Dan Bunting]

Mike Raceboat 61-S,

Sorry about the loss of your good friend. Thanks for the additional information on Terry Thompson. This entire incident was very sad and touched thousands, if not millions of people. As you know, some of us much closer than others.

Ironicly, I was working patrol duty that evening when the call came into the Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff notified us of the situation with Mr. Thompson and advised that some of the animals were now heading in our direction from Zanesville. This was a long exhausting night for everyone involved, the rain and cold didn't help either. I really appreciate your post, it gives me some more insight and helps me understand things from that evening a little more now.

I did not know Terry, but he sounds like he was a great friend of yours. Again, I'm very sorry for the tragic loss of your friend. I believe that you did him good with your posting.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

If I'm reading this right, it was by Mike Raceboat 61-S and forwarded by Ron. 61-S is an Ohio number.

It is good to get the rest of the story. It is very sad, and when guns and animals are involved in such a way, the news media always gets it wrong. They look to savage anyone with a gun in any way they can. It's a shame Terry was betrayed by all those people. Thanks Mike for setting the story straight for at least some of the people. I'm sure Terry didn't want his animals to die of starvation, and seeing how everyone around dumped on him, I suspect this is the only way he could find a solution to getting his animals cared for. Makes you wonder if their aren't some guilty parties keeping their mouths shut that he had tried to get to take his animals before this tragedy occurred.

RIP Terry Thompson.

[Ron Hill]

I did not know Terry Thompson 61-S did. I was in Louisville, Kentucky for the IBEX Boat Show when I read about the Wild Animals in the USA Today. When I read 61-S's email, I decided to post it.

Everything abut this "event" seems so sad...