Lieutenant Thomas Ashworth Jr. was born in 1908 in Payette, Idaho, to Rev. and Mrs. Thomas Ashworth. His parents had immigrated from England in 1906, farming in Payette before his father became rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Butte, Montana.

Tom graduated from Payette High School in 1928, where he was a member of the Glee Club and varsity baseball team. One of five siblings, he had a sister and three brothers: Edward, who graduated from West Point and rose to the rank of Colonel; Robert, who also graduated from West Point and became a General; and Geoffrey, who followed their father into the Episcopal ministry.

After serving as a private in the Idaho National Guard from 1925 to 1927, Tom was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy. At Annapolis, he enjoyed athletics and was captain

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