Thomas J. H. Trapnell

In 1941, Japan invaded the Philippines, routing combined U.S.-Filipino defensive forces. During their withdrawal into the Bataan Peninsula in December, Trapnell, commanding a unit of the 26th Cavalry, fought a desperate rear-guard action that included the last tactical cavalry charge of the U.S. Army.[10] Using a medical truck to block one of the bridges used by retreating Fil-Am force and setting it afire, Trapnell then remained at this position under constant fire until it was rendered unpassable.[2][11] Although he had a command car with which to beat a hasty retreat, he instead withdrew slowly with a picked force retrieving wounded soldiers along the way. For this engagement he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and commended by Gen. MacArthur:[12] "With complete disregard for his safety, Major Trapnell delayed the hostile advance and set an inspiring example to his entire regiment."[3]

Taken prisoner in April 1942 along with remaining U.S. forces, Trapnell endured months of horrific conditions at Camps O'Donnell and Cabanatuan.[13] While interned, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.[1] In December 1944, he was transported, along with 1,620 other prisoners, on the notorious prisoner of war hell ship, Oryoku Maru. U.S. dive-bombers, unaware of the ship's status, attacked and sunk the vessel. Trapnell survived only to fall victim to a repeated attack the following year. This time, United States Navy aircraft attacked and disabled the Enoura Maru. He and the approximate 950 survivors of the two sinkings were placed aboard the Brazil Maru but only 550 survived the journey to Japan. In August 1945, Trapnell was liberated from Hoten POW camp in Manchuria by USSR troops. At the time, his once athletic, six-foot frame had been reduced to less than 100 pounds.[14]

Upon his return to the United States, Trapnell attended the Command and General Staff College. Afterward, he completed Airborne School and assumed command of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On May 8, 1948, Trapnell led the 505th as part of a record-setting exercise that saw 2,200 paratroopers travel some 500 miles to make a jump at Camp Campbell, Kentucky.[15]

In 1951, Trapnell was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and placed in command of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. In November of that year, the 187th made a "simulated combat drop", landing 3,000 troops and 100,000 lbs of equipment in South Korea during 'Operation Showoff,' a demonstration of wartime airlift capability.[16] From May to June, 1952, the 187th under Trapnell was instrumental in suppressing the rebellion of 80,000 Chinese and North Korean prisoners at the Koje-do Island POW camp. Some 40 prisoners were killed during the uprising which had been fomented by communist leaders attempting to disrupt truce negotiations.[17]

From 1952 to 1954, Major General Trapnell headed the U.S. advisory mission in French Indochina, leaving just before Ho Chi Minh's victory at Dien Bien Phu. While serving as the chief advisor, he issued a series of reports to his superiors in which he predicted that the French would not be able to defeat the communist insurgency. Trapnell was replaced by Maj. Gen. John W. O'Daniel and returned to the United States for a succession of commands: the recently reactivated 4th Armored Division at Ft. Hood, Texas from 1954 to 1955 and the 82nd Airborne Division from 1955–1956.

Trapnell returned to South Korea in 1958 commanding I Corps for two years before becoming the Chief of Staff to Gen. Isaac White, Commander-in-Chief, United States Army Pacific. In 1960, after briefly commanding Third U.S. Army at Ft. McPherson, Georgia, he took command of both the XVIII Airborne Corps and the Strategic Army Corps at Ft. Bragg.[18] While there, Trapnell presided over the dedication of the Airborne Trooper statue in September 1961.[19] He also strongly advocated for the joint forces reaction force that became Strike Command.[2]

In 1961, Lieutenant General Trapnell was in South Vietnam, where he advised President John F. Kennedy against U.S. involvement.[2] Presciently gauging the eventual swing of U.S. public opinion and weighing the organizational success and popularity of Minh, Trapnell concluded that the Vietnamese communists were waging a "clever war of attrition." While he supported holding the line against communist expansion in Asia, he nevertheless believed that a "military solution in Indochina [was] not possible."[20]

Trapnell's final command came in 1961. In that year, SAC and Tactical Air Command were unified as Strike Command; Trapnell once again assumed command of Third Army.[21] He retired in 1962 and was nominated to hold the rank of general in retirement.[22]

Trapnell later served as an advisory board member of the Center for Internee Rights in Florida advocating for just treatment of US prisoners of war and fair compensation from holding nations.[14]