W5JXP - Edward P. Thomas, Jr.

Edward P. Thomas, Jr., the original W5JXP and now a Silent Key, received his Amateur Radio license from the FCC in 1939 at the age of 15. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corp in 1942 and was stationed on Guam in 1944 where he flew in a B-29 Super Fortress serving as the radio operator. At the end of WWII when the US ham radio ban was lifted, he and other hams stationed on Guam convinced the Army to let them build a ham shack which they used to relay 3rd party messages for fellow GIs. His son Daniel later took over the W5JXP call sign in 2026.

A ham radio operator at work in his shack, circa 1940s-50s. Wearing headphones and gripping a microphone, he faces a wall of vintage radio gear — dials, meters, and clocks — with a globe perched on top, a nod to the worldwide reach of amateur radio. A Sunday feature from the 1948 Corpus Christi Caller-Times captures Edward P. Thomas, Jr. — ham radio enthusiast, Army Air Corps veteran, and new father — at his powerful broadcasting station. The article traces his lifelong passion for radio from a broken-down set in his grandfather's garage to contacts across the Philippines, Hawaii, and beyond.

The calling card of a world-reaching hobbyist: a QSL card for W5JXP, Edward P. Thomas, Jr., of Corpus Christi, Texas. Colorful continents fan out behind the bold call sign — a fitting backdrop for a man whose radio signals traveled to the Philippines, Hawaii, and beyond. The pre-printed fields await handwritten details of each confirmed contact, a paper handshake between operators across the globe. Bold as a postcard and twice as far-traveled: a QSL card from Guam, where Edward P. Thomas, Jr. operated under the dual call signs W5JXP and KB6 during his wartime posting. The word