Charlie Armstrong Thompson was born on November 23, 1887, in Covington, North Carolina. Thompson was a laborer at the Dickson Cotton Mill in Laurinburg, North Carolina, when he registered for the draft (World War I) in June 1917. He was subsequently inducted into the service in July 1918 and served with the 156th Depot Brigade stateside until his honorable discharge in November 1918. Thompson died on April 3, 1930.