author
Jr. (John William) John W. Thomason
1893–1944
A Marine officer, illustrator, and storyteller, this writer turned firsthand experience into vivid books about war and the American Southwest. His work is remembered for its plainspoken energy, sharp eye for character, and deep feeling for military life.
1 Audiobook
Fix bayonets!
by Jr. (John William) John W. Thomason
About the author
Born in Huntsville, Texas, in 1893, John W. Thomason Jr. built a career that combined service, art, and writing. He served in the United States Marine Corps, including service connected with both world wars, and became known not only as an officer but also as an illustrator and author whose work often drew on the people and places he knew best.
His best-known book is Fix Bayonets!, a collection based on the experience of U.S. Marines in World War I. He also wrote on Texas and western subjects, including Lone Star Preacher. Readers were drawn to the way he mixed action, humor, and affection for the traditions of the Corps and the Southwest.
Thomason died in 1944. Even so, his books and drawings have kept his voice alive: direct, observant, and rooted in lived experience. For listeners interested in military history, frontier storytelling, or early twentieth-century American writing, his work offers both atmosphere and personality.