Thomas D. Howie

Who was Thomas D. Howie?

Thomas Dry Howie was an American army officer, killed during the Battle of Normandy during World War II, while trying to capture the French town of Saint-Lô. He is known as "The Major of St. Lo".

Howie was born in Abbeville, South Carolina, and graduated in 1929 from The Citadel, where he was president of his class, star halfback on the football team and captain of the baseball team. He taught English and coached at Staunton Military Academy in Virginia; he was commissioned into the US Army Reserve in 1932 and in 1934 transferred to the Virginia National Guards 116th Infantry which was based at an armory in Staunton.

Howie entered active duty when the 29th Division was federalized in 1941. The unit moved to the United Kingdom in September 1942 and landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day; a little more than a month later, on July 13, 1944, Major Howie was assigned to command the 3d Battalion. On July 16, the 3d Battalion used hand grenades and bayonets to break through the German lines and join the 2d Battalion, which was isolated and nearly out of food and ammunition.