Today we pay tribute to Tommy Norris, Michael Thornton, their families

“I lost an eye and part of my head and brain and had some other bodily injuries. I have another eye. You just go on.”

  • Tommy Norris, US Navy SEAL and Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient

From April 10-13, 1972, Thomas “Tommy” Norris, a 28-year old native of Jacksonville, Florida, who was an Eagle Scout and had joined the Navy in 1967, became one of only three SEALs to be awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War.

In early April 1972, after USAF pilot Lt.Col. Iceal “Gene” Hambleton was shot down over enemy territory, the Air Force launched what would become the longest and most intense rescue operation of the Vietnam War.

In repeated attempts to save the pilot, fourteen Americans were killed, eight additional aircraft were shot down, and two Airmen became stranded behind enemy lines.

On April 10, with the situation rapidly deteriorating, Norris and his five-man team were sent into North Vietnamese territory to rescue the downed crewmen.

Over the next three days, Norris and his men, hit by mortar and rocket attacks and engaged in intense fire fights, repeatedly risked their lives to search for the missing Americans.

At one point in the harrowing ordeal, Lt. Norris and South Vietnamese commando Nguyen Van Kiet left their forward base, swam more than a mile down an enemy river, and after fighting off multiple attacks from communist forces, rescued Hambleton and another downed Airman.

For his “outstanding display of decisive leadership and undaunted courage,” Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor.

“I don’t feel like I was anybody special,” he later said. “It was a mission that needed to be accomplished. Anyone else in my position would have done the same thing.”

Postscript:
Six months later, while on a intelligence gathering mission, Norris was again hit by enemy forces. During a four-hour firefight, Norris and his men, surrounded by nearly 200 enemy soldiers, held their position and killed countless communist attackers.

But as the SEALs attempted to make their way to a beach extraction point, Norris, covering his team’s withdrawal, was shot in the head and presumed dead.

Fellow SEAL Michael E. Thornton, however, refused to abandon his comrade. Dashing through enemy fire, he recovered his unconscious buddy, carried him to the beach, and ran into the ocean.

For the next two hours, the 23-year-old Greenville, South Carolina native, who was also wounded, kept Norris and another injured man afloat until they were picked up by a friendly boat.

Norris survived the ordeal. After returning to the States, spending three years in the hospital, and undergoing numerous surgeries (his first one lasted 19 hours), he was medically retired from the Navy. As a result of his nearly-fatal head wound, Norris lost his left eye and part of his skull.

For his actions on October 31, 1972, Thornton was awarded the Medal of Honor, becoming the first MOH recipient to be recognized for saving the life of a fellow MOH recipient. Thornton retired from the Navy in 1992. The two men frequently attend MOH events together and co-authored a book, “By Honor Bound.”

Today we pay tribute to Tommy Norris, Michael Thornton, their families, and all those who served, sacrificed, and died in Vietnam. We will never forget you!


THE DAY AFTER… BATTLE of MAGERSFONTEIN – the TRUCE for retrieving dead and wounded… ACCIDENTALLY BROKEN. And the WITHDRAWAL.

THE DAY AFTER… BATTLE of MAGERSFONTEIN – the TRUCE for retrieving dead and wounded… ACCIDENTALLY BROKEN. And the WITHDRAWAL.

This text from Steve Lunderstedt (KIMBERLEY CALLS…AND RECALLS): “On this day, the 12th December, in 1899, as the sun rose…

Read More


“Trench fighting is the bloodiest, wildest, most brutal of all…

“Trench fighting is the bloodiest, wildest, most brutal of all…

Of all the war’s exciting moments none is so powerful as the meeting of two storm troop leaders between narrow…

Read More


British Soldier Leonard Thompson experience during the Gallipoli campaign.

British Soldier Leonard Thompson experience during the Gallipoli campaign.

“We set to work to bury people. We pushed them into the sides of the trenches but bits of them…

Read More


What is Krampus ?

What is Krampus ?

The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. On the preceding evening of 5…

Read More


A HEART WRENCHIG STORY

A HEART WRENCHIG STORY

Bronx mother accused of hanging her 6-year-old daughter in a closet and beating her before she died due to prolonged…

Read More


In 1976, Shavarsh Karapetyan, an Armenian Olympic Swimmer, had just completed a 12-mile run with his brother when they saw a trolley bus crash into a dam reservoir.

In 1976, Shavarsh Karapetyan, an Armenian Olympic Swimmer, had just completed a 12-mile run with his brother when they saw a trolley bus crash into a dam reservoir.

The trolley bus sank 80 feet offshore at a depth of 33 Feet. Shavarsh immediately dove in and swam to…

Read More


In 1867, deep within the dense forests of Uttar Pradesh, India, a hunting party stumbled upon an astonishing sight in a jungle cave:

In 1867, deep within the dense forests of Uttar Pradesh, India, a hunting party stumbled upon an astonishing sight in a jungle cave:

a young boy living among wolves, behaving more like a wild animal than a human. This child, later named Dina…

Read More


She got married at the age of 14, and at the age of 20, she became a single mother.

She got married at the age of 14, and at the age of 20, she became a single mother.

The first female millionaire who made a fortune with her 10 fingers.She entered the Guinness Book of Records as the…

Read More


Today we Remember Charlotte Salomon

Today we Remember Charlotte Salomon

On April 16, 1917, Charlotte Salomon was born in Berlin, Germany—a gifted artist whose life and legacy would become a…

Read More


The Woman Who Lived Across Three Centuries — Jeanne Calment

The Woman Who Lived Across Three Centuries — Jeanne Calment

She was born in 1875 — before the light bulb, the Eiffel Tower, or sliced bread.And she lived until 1997….

Read More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *