Humble hero visits RAF Lakenheath (MOH around his neck. Nam Vet)

8/9/2007 - ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England (AFPN) -- "I don't have anything really profound to say," said Col. Leo Thorsness, retired Air Force fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient.

The colonel, who visited RAF Lakenheath Aug. 7 to speak to Airmen about the importance of teamwork and families as part of a successful military, received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Vietnam.

Colonel Thorsness took the stage with a spring in his step and not looking all of his 75 years. He had bright eyes and many smiles as he recalled stories which focused on the message he came to tell.

"No one person wins a war," Colonel Thorsness said. "Take care of the man or woman beside you and (he or she will) take care of you."

The colonel explained his appreciation for teamwork and camaraderie with stories of aerial combat tactics and brief anecdotes from his time spent in a Vietnamese prison.

Along with taking care of one another, Colonel Thorsness also stressed the importance of taking care of family and friends.

"People have to balance their work and their lives," he said. "People shouldn't live in combat. They need to remember they have a family and friends."

Colonel Thorsness recalled the first phone conversation he had with his wife after six years of being a prisoner of war.

"When my wife answered the phone, I said to her, 'I would've called sooner, but I've been a little tied up,'" laughed Colonel Thorsness.

"I think the military is becoming more people aware and is taking better care of the whole person," said Colonel Thorsness. "If things are good at home, the servicemember is better able to do (his or her) job," he added.

An additional message the colonel had for Airmen was they shouldn't go out and try to be heroes.

"Deploying Airmen go into the fight well trained, and with some of the best equipment out there," Colonel Thorsness said. "They should use all they've been given to the max, even push the envelope sometimes. People need to focus on just doing their jobs, and do them the best they can."

Colonel Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor for a mission flown over North Vietnam in 1967. He learned of his nomination for the medal while he was a POW there. Colonel Thorsness was not able to receive his medal until he finally returned to the U. S.

"I'm not sure that I'm a role model," said Colonel Thorsness, "I've just been around a long time."

His words evoked two standing ovations from enlisted and officers alike, and for a man who doesn't feel he has anything profound to say, he certainly said a lot.

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel (then Maj.), U.S. Air Force, 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Place and date: Over North Vietnam, 19 April 1967. Entered service at: Walnut Grove, Minn. Born: 14 February 1932, Walnut Grove, Minn. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. As pilot of an F- 105 aircraft, Lt. Col. Thorsness was on a surface-to-air missile suppression mission over North Vietnam. Lt. Col. Thorsness and his wingman attacked and silenced a surface-to-air missile site with air-to-ground missiles, and then destroyed a second surface-to-air missile site with bombs. In tile attack on the second missile site, Lt. Col. Thorsness’ wingman was shot down by intensive antiaircraft fire, and the 2 crewmembers abandoned their aircraft. Lt. Col. Thorsness circled the descending parachutes to keep the crewmembers in sight and relay their position to the Search and Rescue Center. During this maneuver, a MIG-17 was sighted in the area. Lt. Col. Thorsness immediately initiated an attack and destroyed the MIG. Because his aircraft was low on fuel, he was forced to depart the area in search of a tanker. Upon being advised that 2 helicopters were orbiting over the downed crew’s position and that there were hostile MlGs in the area posing a serious threat to the helicopters, Lt. Col. Thorsness, despite his low fuel condition, decided to return alone through a hostile environment of surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft defenses to the downed crew’s position. As he approached the area, he spotted 4 MIG-17 aircraft and immediately initiated an attack on the MlGs, damaging 1 and driving the others away from the rescue scene. When it became apparent that an aircraft in the area was critically low on fuel and the crew would have to abandon the aircraft unless they could reach a tanker, Lt. Col. Thorsness, although critically short on fuel himself, helped to avert further possible loss of life and a friendly aircraft by recovering at a forward operating base, thus allowing the aircraft in emergency fuel condition to refuel safely. Lt. Col. Thorsness’ extraordinary heroism, self-sacrifice, and personal bravery involving conspicuous risk of life were in the highest traditions of the military service, and have reflected great credit upon himself and the U.S. Air Force.

Wow...His story continues:
All Thorsness' missions were Wild Weasel Missions, sometimes called "Iron Head Missions". The plane had a Trained Bear - an electronic warfare officer [EWO] - in the back seat, and as much state-of-the-art equipment that was available mounted in the two-seat F-105. Their job was to "seek and destroy" SAMs [Surface to Air Missile] sites The idea was "to troll high enough to let them shoot at you, yet low enough so you could get down to the deck and out-maneuver the SAMs." The loss rate was very heavy. A hundred missions completed the tour of duty instead of a year for the ground people. The Wild Weasel was a very high-threat job and few people completed a hundred missions. Leo Thorsness was piloting the plane and Harry Johnson was the back seater. It was Johnson's job to spot the active SAM sites on the ground at the same time he watched the skies for MIG attacks. A typical Wild Weasel mission would go in with four planes. On April 19, Thorsness' wingman, was shot down over the foothills west of Hanoi. Search and rescue attempts failed to locate the men. On April 30, 1967, while flying his ninety-third mission just seven shy of going home, Maj. Leo Thorsness and his back seater, Harry Johnson, were shot down over North Vietnam. They were captured and, as prisoners of war, joined the two airmen who Thorsness had directed rescue efforts for on April 19. Thorsness was captured by a mix of militia and regular army soon after arriving on the ground. He was in interrogation for nineteen days and eighteen nights, without sleep. His torture did not end there. Of the beatings, Thorsness says, "Oftentimes they would take a fan belt, cut it in half, and beat you with it. It's like a rubber hose, but, unlike a hose, the fan belt is solid. Finally, after so much the mind begins to hallucinate and that saves the body. The pain dissolves and you can't feel it anymore. You're beyond that point. The North Vietnamese didn't know when to stop as far as trying to get information. They were brutal, but they just weren't sophisticated. Oftentimes they didn't know when to stop. They either broke you, or you died." Thorsness was in captivity when a Cuban team came in 1968 and stayed for a year. They taught the North Vietnamese how to extract information. Thorsness was not among the eight tortured by the Cubans, but they systematically tortured another in the camp, Earl Cobiel, to death. Corbeil was struck along the brow with a hose and didn't blink. And they took a rusty nail and carved a bloody X across his back. "With a wire, strap, or rope, the guards would pull your elbows together behind your back. Then they'd tie your hands together at the wrist and pull, cutting off the circulation. They would put a clevis around your feet and run a bar through it. It was hardest if they put the clevis behind because they'd bend you forward and put your head under the bar. Sometimes they'd hoist you off the floor and it felt like your sternum was going to break. Generally, you'd pass out. It didn't bother them if they dislocated your shoulders; most of us had our shoulders dislocated. We called it the Suitcase Trick. It was brutal, painfully brutal," Thorsness related. After time in interrogation, Thorsness was put into a cell with another prisoner, and then into solitary. He was held six years. Three years were brutal and the second three years were "boring" as torture eased because of pressure in the U.S. from family members. Thorsness received the Medal of Honor while in captivity, prior to the Nixon inauguration. The announcement was kept secret, so the Vietnam could not use the information against him. It was one of many awards and decorations he received when he came home. Leo K. Thorsness retired from the United States Air Force as a Colonel. After his release, he pursued prosecution for those he felt collaborated with the enemy while in captivity. His efforts failed, but only because of the political climate at the time. He and his wife Gaylee reside in Washington state. They have been married more than 40 years and have one daughter. Thorsness has previously served as a Washington State Senator.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.