Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1939, Thompson was the son of an insurance salesman. After attending public school in Louisville, Thompson joined the Air Force where he wrote for military newspapers, mostly covering sports. But Thompson's ornery, stubborn streak was already prominent in these years, earning him an early honorable discharge for his disregard for both military dress and authority. The superior officer who requested the discharge also praised his journalistic talent, but felt his material was too often controversial. He had not seen anything yet.
The Making of a Gonzo Journalist
Thompson was considered a seasoned journalist while still in his twenties. Between 1959 and 1965 he served as a Caribbean correspondent for Time and the New York Herald Tribune, as South American correspondent for the National Observer, and as contributor to magazines such as the Nation, Harper's, Reporter and Scanlan's Monthly. His early works were conventional, but as the tenor of the nation began to change--and as his own experiments with drugs increased--he embraced the nascent New Journalism style.
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