Thiele was originally a member of the
District of Columbia National Guard, serving with the
121st Engineer Battalion. He was honorably discharged in 1924 and entered the
United States Coast Guard Academy, graduating in 1927. Afterwards, he was assigned to the , the and the . From 1930 to 1933, Thiele was an instructor at the School of Instruction. Additionally, he was coach of the swimming team. Later, he served aboard the . During
World War II, Thiele helped design the
Wind-class icebreakers and the . He then served as the first executive officer of the , one of the ships he helped to design. Later, he commanded the and the in the
Pacific Theater of Operations. Awards Thiele received for his service in the war include the
American Defense Service Medal, the
World War II Victory Medal, the
Navy Occupation Service Medal and the
Philippine Defense Medal. Thiele's later assignment included serving in
London, England and as Engineer-in-Chief of the Coast Guard. He retired from the Coast Guard in 1961. ==References==