Search for content in message boards

Terry Thackston

Terry Thackston

Posted: 16 Aug 2009 10:32PM GMT
Classification: Query
I served with him at Fort Jackson in 1961-1962. Terry lived in Fort Mill, SC. I think his wife was "Joy" or maybe that was his sister. Sure would like to get in touch...anyone know him? Thanks!

Re: Terry Thackston

Posted: 3 Dec 2010 5:21PM GMT
Classification: Query
I am the daughter of a Terry Thackston that lived in Fort Mill, SC. His first wife's name was Betty Ann and his second wife, my mother's, name was Diane. If this is the same Terry Thackston you are speaking of, I apologize but I must be the bearer of bad news. He suddenly passed away in May of 1995 from a massive heart attack. He was 56 years young. If you knew him, you knew he was a good man. It is comforting to know that someone would like to get intouch with my father. He is buried at Unity Cemetary in Fort Mill, SC.

Re: Terry Thackston

Posted: 3 Dec 2010 6:02PM GMT
Classification: Query
Gina, your father and I were best friends for 6 months at Fort Jackson...I once went home with him one weekend when he worked at the mill.
We were constantly together and he always bunked with me, he liked the bottom bunk--he was tall and I was short...like Mutt and Jeff.
We both stayed on base much during the weekends and always went to a very nice dining hall on-base each Sunday. The food was much better! It was the only day the army gave us off, most of the time.
One time, we were on bivouac sleeping in a 2 man pup tent, it was 9 degrees and 4" of snow on the ground and we almost froze that week--the army actually called of training (but we had to stay in the snow)--"Tacky," as I called him would go to morning call and in the dark answer for me when my name was called so I could sleep longer, then I'd do it for him next day. We would keep small cartons of milk in the tent to drink after training for that day and it would still be fresh at night--that's how cold it was.
Your Dad was a great friend, a great soldier and always did his duty. One day during the cold, above, we were coming down a tall hill literally shaking (the army had issued us a coat but did not give us the warm liner so the coat was more of a wind breaker...Tacky step on ice, it gave way and his foot was fully submerged in the water. He barely could walk on it and I noticed tears streaming down his face. He leaned on me and we got down the hill. I know he was in great pain but he never stopped.
I'm sorry we lost touch after service...life seems to be that way...I lived in Charleston, went to school and got busy with life. I did try many times before the internet to get in touch but was not successful.
Tack had a great sense of humor and we laughed and laughed.
He deserved a long and happy life and I miss him...would give anything to be able to see him again and share those times.
He was a good friend when I needed it the most...I was 18, first time away from home and all of us came to rely on each other...kind of in a "Band of Brothers" way. We didn't see combat but I always knew he would cover my back if we did.
God bless you and your family. Please keep in touch.
David Tester (Testerbaby, as your Dad called me)
1448 Saint Hubert Way
Charleston, SC 29414
843-557-6382
dat1923@yahoo.com

Re: Terry Thackston

Posted: 6 Dec 2010 2:13PM GMT
Classification: Query
Gina, I meant to tell you I've been married to Margaret Brown for 45 years and we have 2 children and 2 grands...
David Arthur Tester

Re: Terry Thackston

Posted: 6 Dec 2010 3:53PM GMT
Classification: Query
This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.. it really does sound like my dad. He had the best sense of humor! i'm proud that he was my father and that I at least had 15 years with him. I know he's up there laughing about this now wondering when i would read your post. I'm going to let my mom read this if you don't mind. I know it would make her feel good. I would love to hear more stories when you have a chance to type them out. I miss him dearly and every little memory of him keeps him alive. Plus, these are stories of my father waaaaaay before me, so it's funny to hear the way he was when he was young. Thank you again, you have no idea what this has meant to me.

Regina

Re: Terry Thackston

Posted: 6 Dec 2010 3:57PM GMT
Classification: Query
CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is something to be proud of! My father never had the joy of grandkids, but I was enough to handle!

p.s. my mom is still ragging me to have her a grandchild!

Re: Terry Thackston

Posted: 8 Dec 2010 12:49AM GMT
Classification: Query
Gina and family,
More "war" stories...During that same week of snow and 9 degree temps, we would eat supper in the dark and then, with nothing else to do, go to bed. We had one blanket on the ground and one to cover with (no sleeping bag). Before we made camp, they sent us about 100 yards out to dig a deep trench for the camp to use the bathroom. Our orders were to use this day and night while in camp.
Well, at 3 in the morning when you have to wee-wee, Tacky was not going to get out from underneath that one blanket and walk a 100 yards to find a hole in the dark--neither was I.
So, If I had to do #1, I'd pull my bottom blanket back, dig a small hole with my shovel, then cover it back up--put the bottom blanket back and go back to sleep--your Dad did the same thing.
Well, you ask for more stories!
Story # 2----
PLEASE understand we were good friends and teased a lot. That weekend when I went to Rock Hill with your Dad I met (Betty Ann?), she had been a beauty queen or something--she should was pretty! I said to Tacky going home, "How did someone that looks like Alfred E. Newman (Mad Magazine)manage to land such a pretty girl--man you are ugly as homemade sin--how did you get her?"
We roared with laughter.
God bless...
David Tester
P.S. More later--the best hamburger we ever ate and the jeep.

Re: Terry Thackston The Best Hamburger Ever!

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 10:10PM GMT
Classification: Query
We were about 4 weeks into basic training. There were over 25,000 troops at Fort Jackson. The barracks were all full so we had to do 8 weeks in 10 man tents with NO heat.
The food wasn't that bad but there was never enough. With the workouts most of us lost 5 to 15 pounds---Oh, man for a hamburger.
But we couldn't leave the company area under any circumstances...to do so would bring court marshal and time in the brig (jail). To make it more tempting, there were hamburger joints all over the place (they were called, The Hut).
Thomas, a black guy, was one of our best friends and slept across from us. One night, about one a.m. he said he would sneak out of camp and go get him a burger...Tacky and I begged him to get us one...He said, "No way!"
So he left and didn't get caught. Man, you could smell that burger... we fussed at him for not getting us one and called him names and said we would get even...about that time something hit our beds and it was BURGERS! Juicy, dripping with catchup/mustard/cheese/onions and wonderful. Boy, we were hungry.
We ate and ate.
Take care,
David

Re: Terry Thackston The Best Hamburger Ever!

Posted: 15 Dec 2010 10:22PM GMT
Classification: Query
oh he did love his burgers!!! That's funny, it sounds like you had a good time and met some great people. I wish my dad were still around, I hated breaking the news to you. His heart wasn't in the best shape, and it finally quit on him. but in the short 15 years i had him, he taught me so much. He was so artistic, painting, music, drawing cartoons... etc. I love it. I love it when people talk about my father because all i have EVER heard were good things. It's funny to learn about him when he was younger. All I have are pictures of him when he was younger. If i can get my email to work, I will send you some pictures. Thank you for the stories, keep them up! I have his sword in a gold shadow box with red velvet background. it's beautiful. i have boxes and boxes of his stuff because I was his ownly daughter, named after his brother Reginald (Regina). I miss him terribly even though it has been 15 years. he was a wonderful man, and no one has ever said any different.

keep the stories coming!!!

Re: Terry Thackston The Best Hamburger Ever!

Posted: 16 Dec 2010 6:18AM GMT
Classification: Query
Gina, did you get the one about having to use the bathroom in the tent?
I'm not sure I'm using ancestry correctly...
David
per page

Find a board about a specific topic