John William Thomason Jr. (28 February 1893 – 12 March 1944) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps, as well as an author and illustrator of several books and magazine stories.
[1] Thomason was born in Huntsville, Texas, the son of a physician and the grandson of Confederate General James Longstreet's chief of staff Major T. J. Goree.
[2] After serving as a Marine in World War II, Jack died in an airplane crash in Calcutta, India, in 1947.
[2] During World War I Thomason served as the executive officer of the 49th Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and was awarded the Navy Cross.
At the beginning of American involvement in World War II, Thomason was assigned to Admiral Chester Nimitz's staff as an inspector of Marine installations and visited Guadalcanal during the fighting.