Major General Tracy Thompson was born and raised in central Wisconsin. He enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1981, where he served through the rank of sergeant as a combat engineer (12B). In 1984, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Throughout this time, he was assigned to units under the 416th Engineer Command.
Major General Thompson has served as an engineer platoon leader, construction officer and company commander. He also served as an inspector general. His staff positions include assignments as a battalion executive officer and as the operations officer (S3) for a transportation group. He commanded the 462nd Transportation Battalion and was mobilized and deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom as commander of the 436th Transportation Battalion (Movement Control). From 2007 through 2010 he commanded the 300th Sustainment Brigade, headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas.
As a Brigadier General, he commanded the 420th Engineer Brigade, which is headquartered in Bryan, Texas. On July 1, 2014, he was promoted to Major General and took command of the 412th Theater Engineer Command, headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi and responsible for nearly 13,000 Soldiers in seven colonel commands, including three brigades, fifteen battalions and multiple direct reporting units spread over 20 states in the eastern United States. From March 3, 2017 to August 1, 2017, Major General Thompson served as the Deputy Commanding General (Support), U.S. Army Reserve Command.
His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal. As a transportation battalion commander deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit also earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
His military education includes the Engineer Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Inspector General Course, the Command and General Staff Officer Course, the Army War College and CAPSTONE.
Major General Thompson earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1986 and his Juris Doctor at Northern Illinois University in 1989. He is an attorney and has been in private practice with the firm of Powell & Thompson, P.C. since 1990.