Family resemblance

Joann Thompson of Festus submitted photos of grandfather Paul Thompson, and grandson Kyle Paul Thompson.

Navy grandpa

Paul Thompson served in the U.S. Navy as a boilermaker. “His basic training was completed at Great Lakes, Ill.,” she said. “He then served on the U.S.S. McCaffery in Mayport, Fla., where he went overseas during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Petty Officer Third Class. He is now retired from the Veteran’s Affairs at Jefferson Barracks.

Navy grandson

Kyle Paul Thompson served in the U.S. Navy as an interior communications electrician. He spent just over a year in Great Lakes, Ill., for basic training, apprentice technical training, and “A” and “C” school training.

He was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where he served on the U.S.S. Port Royal CG-73. He was deployed to the Persian Gulf and fought in Operation Enduring Freedom from June 2011 until Feb. 2012. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy with the rank of Petty Officer Third Class and received a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal as well as the designation of Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist.

After serving in the military, he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering technology and worked as a technician on overhead cranes. He accepted a position at Emerson as a field engineer and later electrical design engineer. Today, he works for Siemens as a project manager.