One can only assume that the governor who appointed Thompson did so out of upset at being locked out of the decadent and depraved 1970 Kentucky Derby.
If I’m not mistaken, warrant officers W-2 and above are commissioned.
ETA:
On a kinda-related topic, I was at a party down on the Peninsula a few years ago when I was introduced to someone by a friend b/c this guy also worked for Microsoft. During our small talk he told me he was until a year ago a long time developer on the XL team, but now worked for a startup.
Upon hearing that I informed him that I was a developer in the Office group, didn’t recognize him, and thought surely I would have, having been there since 1992. After I asked him which feature teams he worked on, (still innocently embarrassed that I didn’t recognize him), he excused himself and left the party. As he left we all looked at each other, confused, saying things like “Was that guy bullshitting about being a Microsoft developer?!”
I guess it’s the military faker equivalent, but for Silicon Valley.
I like the fact that they awarded Omar Bradley, a five star general, the honorary rank of colonel.
For those interested in an overseas perspective, I can recommend the British Army’s highly unofficial “Army Rumour Service” - obviously abbreviated “Arrse”, which rather sets the tone.
The British term is “Walt” - from the Thurber story of Walter Mitty - and their servicemen are not crazy about them, as can be seen from multiple entries on the inimitable “aarsepedia”:
(Not responsible for productivity lost while perusing the Aarsepedia. After all, how many wikis have a page titled Yet another occasion when the slovenly Frogs were given a richly deserved slapping?)
Ah … but it was WW1! 
Was it over when the Comanches bombed Pearl Harbor?
Absolutely fantastic - 2nd the recommendation 
Actually, that sort of fills a gap: Bradley was never a full Army colonel, as he was promoted straight from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general when he took command of Fort Benning.
In 1968 my newly-graduated husband just missed the fun in Nam by a blink. His DI took a liking to him, pulled some strings and he was sent to a state-side post where he was the Dependent Youth Activities Sports Director. A very lucky Private.
I worked for DYA and had lunch most days at the officer’s club with his boss and her female friends but he couldn’t get in. Heh.
That changed very rapidly when he got bumped up willy-nilly because the Post Commander didn’t like having to deal with a Private. So I guess sometimes people don’t have to put in much time to earn rank. He was discharged in two years as a Spec. Five.
Originally posted by Really Not All That Bright :
“Do you know all the units which were deployed to 'Nam off the top of your head?”
No, not all of them, but this guy was talking about an infantry division, between 10 and 20 thousand very-happy-to-be-there folks. Yes. I know all of them. (the divisions, not the happy folks).
Yeah, but there’s a happy medium.
My grandfathers both did things in World War II that would make you shit your pants, but neither won the Victoria Cross. A fairly low-key explanation of their achievements would have gotten either of them free food and drink for the entirety of a month-long stay in the Netherlands, no additions required. A guy I was in basic raining with has done stuff in Afghanistan that boggles the mind, but it’s just maybe two extra ribbons on his dress uniform, and he doesn’t brag about it. Many soldiers in war zones face combat and do brave things but aren’t given an Audie Murphy-sized collection of medals for it.
I can only conclude these fakers don’t actually know any combat veterans. If they did they’d know how to play the fakery.
From the Onion: Candidate May Have Lied About Heroic Death In Vietnam