Thomas Hopkins Post 4 was opened on June 16th, 1919 and named after Second Lieutenant Thomas Hopkins.

Second Lieutenant Thomas Hopkins, a native of Wichita, Kansas, served in the U.S. Army during World War I as part of Company G of the 139th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division. On July 20, 1918, near Sondernach, France, he displayed extraordinary heroism by leaving a position of relative safety to rescue a wounded private, who was returning from a nearby trench raid and became entangled in barbed wire amidst heavy artillery fire. Hopkins was able to free the man from the wire and got him to his feet, but as they turned for the American line, both men were wounded. Thomas Hopkins was struck in his spine, which instantly paralyzed him. Lieutenant Hopkins was taken immediately to the hospital and succumbed to his wounds the following day.

In recognition of his bravery, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, one of the highest military honors for valor in combat. Second Lieutenant Hopkins was also posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre, issued to soldiers for acts of heroism involving combat with the enemy, accompanied by a citation from the Marshal of France.

Lieutenant Hopkins was the first soldier from Wichita to be killed in action in France. He is interred at Old Mission Cemetery in Wichita, KS.