Petty Officer Second Class Michael E. Thornton and Lieutenant Thomas Norris

[Subdeacon Joe]

Found on FB. 

 

On this day, 53 years ago, October 31, 1972, 22-year-old Petty Officer Second Class Michael E. Thornton of the United States Navy SEALs fought through one of the most intense battles of the Vietnam War on the coast of South Vietnam.

He was serving as a SEAL advisor with Coastal Group 16, part of Naval Advisory Group, United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam.

That morning, Thornton was one of five men in an intelligence-reconnaissance patrol led by Lieutenant Thomas R. Norris.

The small team, consisting of Thornton, Norris, and three South Vietnamese Navy men, launched from a rubber boat near the Cửa Việt River, close to the Demilitarized Zone separating South and North Vietnam.

Their mission was to reconnoiter enemy-held territory, capture enemy soldiers for intelligence, and gather information on enemy troop movements.

They landed undetected before dawn and began moving inland through marsh and scrub-covered terrain toward their objective.

After about two hours of quiet movement, the team was spotted by a North Vietnamese Army patrol numbering over fifty enemy soldiers.

Automatic weapons and mortar fire erupted around them, tearing the ground apart.

Norris quickly ordered the team to break contact and withdraw toward the coast.

Despite being heavily outnumbered, Thornton stayed behind to cover the retreat, firing bursts from his M16 and throwing grenades to delay pursuit.

The enemy pressed hard and quickly encircled their position.

When it became clear the team could not break contact cleanly, they established a defensive position in a small ravine and engaged the North Vietnamese at close range.

For over two hours, Thornton and his comrades exchanged fire with the much larger enemy force, killing numerous attackers but sustaining heavy return fire.

As ammunition began to run low, the team attempted to fight their way back to the shoreline for extraction.

In the process, Lieutenant Norris was struck by enemy fire in the head and fell to the ground, appearing dead.

Thornton was told that Norris had been killed, but he refused to leave him behind.

Ignoring the continuing fire and the risk of encirclement, he ran through the open field directly toward Norris’s body.

Bullets struck all around him as he sprinted through the kill zone.

When he reached Norris, Thornton found him gravely wounded but still alive.

Lifting the officer onto his shoulders, he began the long run back toward the beach, carrying him through mud and sand with enemy troops only yards away.

To protect his friend, Thornton stopped at intervals, put Norris down, and fired back with his rifle to drive off the advancing enemy.

He then picked him up again and continued toward the water.

When the team reached the shoreline, they came under still heavier fire from enemy soldiers closing in from multiple directions.

Thornton organized the remaining Vietnamese commandos and directed suppressive fire while still shielding Norris with his own body.

Without waiting for rescue craft, Thornton dragged the unconscious Norris into the surf, making for the open water.

He swam for nearly two hours, keeping Norris afloat while under fire from the shore.

At last, a support craft searching for the missing team spotted them and pulled both men aboard.

By that point Thornton was suffering from exhaustion and numerous shrapnel wounds.

His rescue of Lieutenant Norris saved his friend’s life.

Astonishingly, Norris would later go on to recover from his injuries and years later would receive the Medal of Honor himself for a separate action.

On October 15, 1973, President Richard M. Nixon presented the Medal of Honor to Petty Officer Michael E. Thornton in a White House ceremony attended by Lieutenant Thomas Norris

—the man he had carried to safety two years earlier.

Michael E. Thornton continued his service in the Navy and retired as a Lieutenant after nearly 30 years of active duty.

As of today, Michael Thornton is still with us.

#OnThisDay #october31 #MedalOfHonor #fblifestyle

 

 

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/michael-e-thornton

 

 

 

And

 

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/thomas-r-norris

 

Thomas Rolland Norrisq

Details

Rank: Lieutenant

Conflict/Era: Vietnam War

Unit/Command:

Strategic Technical Directorate Assistance Team, SEAL Advisor,

U.S. Military Assistance Command, Headquarters

Military Service Branch: U.S. Navy

Medal of Honor Action Date: April 10 - 13, 1972

Medal of Honor Action Place: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam

Citation

Lt. Norris completed an unprecedented ground rescue of two downed pilots deep within heavily controlled enemy territory in Quang Tri Province. Lt. Norris, on the night of 10 April, led a five-man patrol through 2,000 meters of heavily controlled territory, located one of the downed pilots at daybreak, and returned to the Forward Operating Base (FOB). On 11 April, after a devastating mortar and rocket attack on the small FOB, Lt. Norris led a three-man team on two unsuccessful rescue attempts for the second pilot. On the afternoon of the 12th, a forward air controller located the pilot and notified Lt. Norris. Dressed in fishermen disguises and using a sampan, Lt. Norris and one Vietnamese traveled throughout the night and found the injured pilot at dawn. Covering the pilot with bamboo and vegetation, they began the return journey, successfully evading a North Vietnamese patrol. Approaching the FOB, they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Lt. Norris called in an air strike which provided suppression fire and a smoke screen, allowing the rescue party to reach the FOB. By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, undaunted courage, and selfless dedication in the face of extreme danger, Lt. Norris enhanced the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval service.

 

 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

WOW.   One tough character.

 

..........Widder

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

37 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

WOW.   One tough character.

 

..........Widder

 

 

One MoH recipient saving another MoH recipient. 

[Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme]

Them Trident wearers are pure badasses.  

 

Ooh- Rah! to you both.