Thomas J. Redgate
| Class Year | 1948 |
| Rank | 1st Lt. |
| Service | USA |
| Conflict | Korea |
| Born | 1926 |
| Hometown | Brighton, MA |
| Died | 12/11/50 (MIA) |
| Location of Death | Korea, North |
Awards and Decorations
- Purple Heart
- American Campaign Medal
- WWII Victory Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Korean Service Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars
- Presidential Unit Citation — Navy
- Honorable Service Lapel Button — WWII
- United Nations Service Medal
- Republic of Korea — Korean War Service Medal
- Republic of Korea — Presidential Unit Citation
Additional Information
From 1st Lt. Thomas Redgate's funeral mass at St. Ignatius Church on September 17, 2021:
Thomas Justin Redgate was born on April 13, 1926 in Medford, MA and died December 11, 1950 in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The son of Howard V. and Agnes M (Kiely) Redgate, he grew up in Brighton, MA. On May 19, 1943, he enlisted as a private in the Enlisted Reserve Corps and was called to active duty on April 20, 1944. Mr. Redgate served in this country as an airplane and engine mechanic until his honorable discharge on November 8, 1945.
In 1946, he entered the freshmen class in the College of Business Administration at Boston College, one of 894 freshmen who were military veterans. While there Mr. Redgate participated in the intramural sailing season in November 1946. He remained at Boston College for two years until reenlisting in the U.S. Army on November 26, 1948. After receiving training at Camp Lee in Virginia, First Lieutenant Redgate, a forward observer in Able Batter, 48th Field Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division, was deployed to Korea in August 1950. His unit was on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir when they were attacked by the Chinese on November 27, 1950. On December 11, 1950, he was listed as unaccounted for, and a presumptive finding of death was issued on December 31, 1953. First Lieutenant Redgate was survived by his mother, his brothers Howard V. Jr. and Laurence K. Redgate, and his sister Irene Redgate Bloniarz. He is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI.
On April 16, 2020, the U.S. Army Casualty Office reported a finding of a DNA match to remains that had been turned over to the U.S. from North Korea (DPRK) in 2018. As with so many things in the time of COVID, burial had to be delayed. The family is happy to welcome him home to his native state in September and lay him to a final rest in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, MA.