Kent Thompson, Republican Party Congressional candidate, 19th Congressional District, Florida |
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BIOGRAPHY Kent was born November 10, 1950 at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. His father spent his entire career in the Air Force and was a decorated World War II veteran. Having been shot down over Bremen, Germany during a bombing run, he subsequently spent two and a half years in Stalag 17 until liberated by the Allies. His mother (formerly Natalie Ann Richards) grew up in Ithaca, New York, and is now a resident of Cape Coral, Florida. He has two daughters, Connie (29) and Jessica (22), and two grandsons, Cody (5) and Casey (1 1/2), all of whom he loves very much and for whom he wants to help change America. Kent's life is something of a contradiction in terms. As a young boy he was too much to handle. His church, Coral Gables Congregational Church, knew that he needed a strong male figure to guide him during those formative years. They sent him to Rodeheaver Boys Ranch in Palatka, Florida in the late fifties to early sixties. There he was taught strong family and religious values and had quite a time horseback riding, hunting, fishing, swimming, exploring the St. Johns River, Indian burial grounds, and nature at its finest. It is a time in his life he remembers with great fondness and joy. Kent came back to Miami in the early sixties and grew bored, longing for new experiences and to see the world. At the early age of 16 he dropped out of school and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. This was a time of great unrest in the country, with a war raging in Southeast Asia, a time when his country called upon the youth to stand up. Having never seen a draft card, he volunteered as all his family and ancestors had done since the American Revolutionary War. His ancestors fought in virtually every war this nation has had, at places like Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, the Wilderness, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. In the Marine Corps one is taught from the very outset that one cannot bring disgrace on those who had come before, that we must be better. For Kent there was never a question but to serve his country in time of war. He received his orders for Vietnam in late 1968, landing in Da Nang in January of 1969, where his group was met by a Sergeant who stated, "well, Marines ten percent of you are going to die because you are idiots, and the rest of you will die because you are in the wrong place at the wrong time." Now as Kent puts it, his math was not that good, but even he thought the odds where rather one-sided. From Da Nang he was assigned to D Battery 2nd Battallion 11th Marine Regiment 1st Marine Division an artillery battery at Liberty Bridge near An Hoa, and was attached out to D Company 1st Battallion 5th Marine Regiment 1st Marine Division as supporting arms on an artillery forward observer team. He spent the remainder of his tour with ground forces and can say from first hand experience that the Marine Corps did not forsake the country or bring dishonor on those who came before. Upon leaving Vietnam, reflecting on his experiences, viewing the ground from the porthole of a helicopter, he recalled thinking how fortunate he was to be an American, to have the opportunities that we have and enjoy, and made a vow to pursue higher education and venture off into the business world. Now this was a guy who had dropped out of ninth grade and had been out of school for five years or so. How could he pull this off? Well, he did, graduating from Florida State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business. The candidate, as like many Americans, feels the Federal Government no longer represents "We the people, us, America," for they have become a nation unto themselves with economic policy of a surrealistic nature, with a vision of free trade that is not trade and not quite what is represented, with a tax policy that is usurious at best, slavery at worst, whose policies of yet another law has not worked and will not work, for they do not address the Root Cause! For example, the candidate wishes to investigate the health care crisis in this country, for it was never intended the HMO concept be all inclusive by design, and one can make a very profound case that either by design or error the spigot was turned off just as with the latest oil price increases. During this period of great prosperity the government should have been implementing an austerity program to work down the debt and reduce taxes on an overburdened society, for when we need them is when times are bad. He knows from experience that he must get into the trenches to understand and change the course, due to the complexity of the maze. It cannot be done with words, but deeds. He also wants to be a reminder to all that generation after generation have worked hard with desire, dedication, determination, great sacrifice, and ingenuity to ensure that the next generation has a better way of life, a better America. Kent sees a vision of America in which we are the benchmark, a guidepost for the rest of the world to emulate, to attain, to strive for, and feels this can be accomplished by implementing his candidates statement. He asks for your vote and support.
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