Thomas registered for the draft ca. 1942 at age 18.  At that time he was employed by the Erwin Cotton Mill in Cooleemee, NC. 

Known as Mill No. 4, (seen here in a 1920 photo) the company at one time had 8 such mills in the Durham, NC vicinity.

(courtesy of Peter Drysdale)

Grave marker for Thomas H. Pennington in Joppa Cemetery, Mocksville (Davie county), North Carolina.

Pvt Pennington was evacuated to a field hospital on 11 January 1945.  Classed as a non-battle casualty, he may have been a victim of frostbite.  He returned to duty on 6 March 1945.

His military decorations include the Bronze Service Arrowhead device for the Holland campaign and Airborne operations