Thank you for the post. Leo was a friend of mine.
In the 1980s Leo had moved to WA and became a State Senator. I wrote Leo a letter of support for a particular “good government” bill.
Out of the blue, on a Tuesday night, Leo called me at home to discuss the bill. We got together and began working on refinements that he later championed and the bill became law.
Leo never worked through aides or assistants, he did his own research and gathered support from other legislators, Republican and Democrat directly. A handshake and a look in the eye and everyone knew he was serious and not into wasting time.
He was a gentleman and a warrior, and the finest character I ever met.
God bless you Leo.
In the 80s, he visited the Wild Weasel squadron in the Philippines. He flew an F4 (with an IP)...but the IP said Leo Thorness flew the Phantom like he’d been born in one.
He said a few weeks before being shot down, he fired a Shrike at an SA-2 radar and hit it. Oops! It was on the Chinese embassy! By the time the diplomatic complaints went uphill and the poop flowed down, he was already a prisoner of the NV.
His wing commander replied to the order to punish him with the response, “If they want to punish him, they’ll have to do it themselves!”
He made quite an impression on the entire squadron!