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Taps, Present Arms
Colonel
Thomas J. Sharpe
COL Thomas J. Sharpe graduated
from the University of Oklahoma where he had the distinction of being
the Senior Cadet Colonel of 3,000 Reserve Officer Cadets. He
was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Field Artillery in 1940.
As a result of the 1941 Thompson Act, Sharpe competed for and was
one of only 50 reserve officers in the Army to earn a regular Army
commission. COL Sharpe later earned an MBA from George
Washington University.
COL Sharpe served during World
War II in France, Belgium, and Luxemburg. He took part in four
major battle campaigns including the Battle of the Bulge, the relief
of the surrounded 101st Airborne Division at Bastone, Belgium, and
the capture of the Remagen Bridge over the Rhine River. He was
awarded the Silver
Star Medal for gallantry at the Remagen Bridge. He later
served in Germany with the U.S. Constabulary Forces from 1946 to 1949
and during the Korean War he was assigned to the 40th Infantry
Division earning three more battle stars. After his assignment
with USAMU, COL Sharpe served a tour at the Pentagon on the Army
General Staff as Chief of the Training Division and a tour in Vietnam
as a Special Advisor. COL Sharpe's other awards include the Bronze
Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army
Commendation Medal with Gold Star, the Combat
Infantryman Badge, the Army
General Staff Identification Badge, and the Korean Presidential
Citation. Colonel Sharpe retired from the Army in 1966.
Following his retirement, he was retained by Remington Arms as a consultant.
COL Sharpe is recognized as
the staff officer most responsible for organizing and forming the
U.S. Army (Advanced) Marksmanship Unit. However, his actions
were more than just staffing functions, he was able to perceive the
need for specialized marksmanship training in order for United States
shooters to compete and win on the world scene. He was also an
innovator. For example, he saw the need for mental training and
how it applied to competitive shooting. COL Sharpe caused the
first symposium on mental visualization and mental training to be
conducted at the USAMU. These early efforts paid off when he
led the 1964 United States Olympic team to an unprecedented medal
tally of two Gold, two Silver, and three Bronze medals. |