By LOLA ALAPO
alapol@knews.com
March 30, 2005

As brothers, Paul and Jason Thomason fought with each other, protected each other and enjoyed beans and cornbread at "Mamaw Lou's Restaurant" - their grandmother's house.

They met for an early Thanksgiving dinner in November before Paul Thomason, a member of the 278th Regimental Combat Team, was to be deployed to Iraq.

"When we got to spend time together, it was real special," Jason Thomason said.

On Tuesday, Thomason, 28, met his big brother at McGhee Tyson Airport, this time as an American citizen grateful to a fallen soldier.

"To be here to receive him is an honor," he said. "He's an American hero."

Sgt. Paul W. Thomason III, 37, of Jefferson City, died March 20 near Kirkuk, Iraq, when his military vehicle hit a roadside bomb. He is the first member of the Knoxville-based Tennessee Army National Guard regiment to be killed since the unit's deployment shortly before Christmas.

His brother Jason, father and stepmother, Paul and Roberta Thomason, and an honor guard on Tuesday received his body, which arrived on a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta at 1:51 p.m. The soldier's body had been flown to Atlanta from a military receiving center at Dover, Del.

Members of the honor guard walked his casket to an Atchley Funeral Home hearse.

Thomason's widow, Amanda, and four children, Megan, 10, Piper, 7, Asher, 4, and Cora, 3, chose not to attend because she wanted to shield the youngsters from the harsh reality of their father's death, said Capt. Guy Jester, a casualty assistance officer for the 278th assigned to take care of the family's needs.

Amanda Thomason "is having a difficult day," Jester said, but "she's been very strong."

The family has been "inundated with support," he said.

A group comprised of spouses of fallen soldiers has reached out to her, Jester said. A locket with Thomason's picture and those of his children has been made for Amanda Thomason, he said.

A plaque honoring Thomason also has been placed at his alma mater, Sevier County High School, Jester said.

Thomason's family will receive friends 5-9 p.m. today at First Baptist Church, Sevierville, 317 Parkway.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Thursday at the church. Among those planning to attend is Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander.

Interment will follow at Knob Creek Cemetery in Seymour. "When we got to spend time together, it was real special," Jason Thomason said.

PAUL EFIRD - NEWS SENTINEL
Tennessee Army National Guard pallbearers carry the coffin of Sgt. Paul W. Thomason III to a hearse Tuesday at McGhee Tyson Airport. Thomason, 37, became the first 278th Regimental Combat Team soldier killed in Iraq when his military vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Kirkuk on March 20. Pallbearers, from right, are Spc. Jacob Sprouls, Spc. Lisa Winters, 2nd Lt. Gregory Tester, Spc. Mitchell Bowden, Sgt. Doug Russum and Spc. Michael Stout, all from the 776th Maintenance Company in Elizabethton, Tenn.

PAUL EFIRD- NEWS SENTINEL
Retired Lt. Col. Jack Murphy, left, comforts Paul Thomason, father of the late Sgt. Paul W. Thomason III, while retired Col. William Moore hugs Thomason’s stepmother, Roberta, Tuesday at McGhee Tyson Airport. Sgt. Thomason, 37, was killed in Iraq and will be buried in Seymour.

Sgt. Paul Thomason

Story Copyright to Knoxville News Sentinel