Thomas Allen Legare was born on July 22, 1915, in Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina. He was the son of T. Allen Legare and Lily Mikell Legare. He was married to Virginia Green Legare. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1939, earned his law degree in 1941, and entered the U.S. Army that same year. He served as a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Operational Group Pat, one of the thirteen American parachutists of Operation Percy Pink under his leadership.

On August 12, 1944, he parachuted into the drop zone known as La Roche near Cadouin, France, along with twelve fellow operatives and interpreter Leon Robert, delivered by three B-24 “Liberator” aircraft laden with 51 containers of arms and supplies. Their mission was to support the local Maquis Resistance and work alongside British Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents to sabotage German fuel and transport lines. From their base at the Château de Bétou, they helped train partisans, distribute weapons, and carry out operations that disrupted German movements in the Dordogne. After nearly a month behind enemy lines, they returned safely to England on September 10, 1944. Later, he served in China, where he was involved in training Chinese paratroopers, and was discharged in January 1946.

After the war, he co-founded a Charleston law firm, served as President of the Charleston County Bar Association, and represented Charleston in the South Carolina House of Representatives and Senate. In 1970, he was appointed Chairman of the S.C. State Development Board. Active in civic, fraternal, and church life, Legare was a Mason, a member of numerous Charleston societies, and long associated with the Second Presbyterian Church. For his leadership, the U.S. Highway 17 bridge over the Ashley River was named in his honor in 1978. He was recognized by the University of South Carolina as a Distinguished Alumnus in 1979, was later inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame, and remained a committed alumnus throughout his life.

Legare died on June 11, 2010, and is now buried in the Second Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Charleston, Charleston County, South Carolina, USA.

Source of information: www.connexionfrance.com, www.govinfo.gov