Name: Thomas B. Hudson

                         Branch of Service: Army Air Forces

                         Unit: SQ D 234th AAF, BU

                         Rank: M Sgt.

                         Dates of Service: 07/14/1942-09/16/1945

                         Theater of Service: European-African-
                         Middle Eastern

Thomas Brokenbrough Hudson was born on December 3, 1910, at his family's farm on Rural Rt. 2 near Scottsville, Virginia.  He was the son of Walter William Hudson (b. ca. 1879 in Fluvanna Co., VA) and Alta Pamilia (Brokenbrough) Hudson (b. ca. 1882, Albemarle County, VA).  Thomas was devoted to his large family consisting of two brothers and four sisters.  At the time of the 1900 census, his eldest living ancestor of record was 73 years old, and the family's occupations were listed as farmers and laborers.  Thomas attended Scottsville schools and appeared as the student labeled #36 in this web site's photo of Scottsville Primary School students in 1917; see 1917 Primary School Students.

According to his daughter, Jo Ann Hudson of Orlando, FL, Thomas began working on his family's farm before his Scottsville School days were complete.  In the 1930 U.S. Census records of Albemarle County, VA, Thomas (age 19) was living with his parents and working on the Hudson family farm near Scottsville.  Jo Ann said that her father eventually moved to construction work and by 1940 was residing in New Jersey where he married Mary Hanin Butler (1912-2011) that year; Mary was the daughter of Herbert Henry Butler (1880-1932) and Susanna Campbell Bell (1884-1967).

Thomas Brokenbrough Hudson enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force on July 14, 1942, at Ft. Dix, New Jersey.  He trained as an airplane maintenance technician and served during the U.S Air offensive campaigns in Europe including Normandy, Northern France, and Rhineland where he attained the rank of Master Sergeant in Squadron D, 234th Army Air Force.  For his Army Air Force services, Thomas was awarded the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal.  After the conclusion of WWII, Thomas departed from Europe on 10 June 1945 and separated from the Army Air Force on September 16, 1945, at Ft. Dix, New Jersey.  See below the Honorable Discharge Citation for M/SGT Thomas B. Hudson as well as a photo of his U.S Army Air Force badge, M/Sgt badge, and his USAAF dog tag.