US Air Force Col Leo Thorsness: POW & Medal of Honor Recipient

Welcome back, everyone!

Before we get into this week’s episode, I’m going to share the Medal of Honor story of Marine Corps Sgt Robert Owens, whose bravery during a deadly amphibious landing during WWII helped ensure his division achieved its objective.

On November 1, 1943, during a landing on the Solomon Islands, Sgt. Robert Owens was part of a Marine division engaged in one of the most dangerous assaults of the campaign. As the landing force struggled to reach the beach, they came under relentless fire from a hidden Japanese 75-mm gun, which inflicted heavy casualties and threatened the entire operation.

Realizing that standard rifle and grenade attacks were failing, Sgt Owens knew immediate action was needed to neutralize the gun. Without hesitation, he devised a daring plan. He positioned four fellow Marines to lay down suppressive fire on nearby enemy bunkers, giving him a narrow opening.

In a moment of sheer courage, Sgt Owens charged directly at the cannon, sprinting into the line of fire. Reaching the bunker, he forced his way inside through the firing port, confronting the Japanese crew. In fierce close-quarters combat, Sgt Owens drove the gun crew out of the back entrance and ensured their destruction. Though mortally wounded in the fight, his heroic actions silenced the enemy gun.

Sgt. Owens' selfless bravery in the face of near-certain death saved countless lives, paving the way for the landing force to advance and secure the beach, and for this, Sgt Robert Owens was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Sgt. Robert Owens' unwavering valor exemplified the highest standards of courage, as he sacrificed his life to neutralize a deadly threat. His heroic actions not only saved countless Marines but also ensured the success of the assault.

Now on today’s episode Duty & Valor, I’m going to tell you the story of US Air Force Col. Leo Thorsness.  During the Vietnam war he repeatedly risked his life while flying over some of the most hotly contested airspace over North Vietnam on dangerous missions which saw him being awarded the Medal of Honor.  This is his story.

Leo Thorsness was born on Feb. 14, 1932 in Walnut Grove, MN.  One of three children born to parents Peder and Bernice Thorsness.  He grew up on his family’s farm and was an avid Cub Scout and eventually became an Eagle Scout.  After high school, he attended South Dakota State College and enlisted in the Air Force at the age of 19. He chose to enlist because his brother was serving in the Korean War and he wanted to as well.  While he was in college he met Gaylee Anderson and the two got married in 1953 and would go on to have one child, a daughter named Dawn.  The following year Leo received a commission in the Air Force and became a pilot.  In 1964, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Omaha, now known as the University of Nebraska Omaha.  

In his early years as pilot, Thorsness flew many different types of propeller-driven aircraft before training as a fighter pilot in the F-84 Thunderjet, the F-100 Super Sabre, and eventually the F-105 Thunderchief.  And it was in the Thunderchief that he distinguished himself in combat. 

By 1966, Major Thorsness completed Wild Weasel training.  Wild Weasel was the code name given to Air Force aircraft that were primarily tasked with suppressing enemy air defenses. They would bait radar and air defense systems into targeting them, which allowed them to pinpoint and destroy those enemy positions. 

After this highly specialized training, Major Thorsness joined the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing in Thailand during the Vietnam War.  

By April 19, 1967 Major Thorsness had already flown 87 combat missions during the war, and that day he set on his 88th. He led a flight of four aircraft on a Surface-to-Air Missile suppression mission in support of a fighter-bomber attack on a North Vietnamese Army compound near Hanoi.  Codenamed Kingfish 1, Major Thorness was piloting a two seat F-105F Thunderchief with his Electronic Warfare Officer Capt. Harrold Johnson.  

He ordered Kingfish 3 and 4 to head north while he and his wingman, Kingfish 2, identified two enemy targets.  On their first attack they were able to knock out a surface to air missile site with missiles, and as they made a second pass, they dropped cluster bombs on a second site, destroying that one as well. 

Though things started out well, just moments after the second site was bombed, Kingfish 2 was hit by anti-aircraft fire, forcing Majors Thomas Madison and Thomas Sterling to eject.  At nearly the same time, Kingfish 3 and 4 were attacked by MiG fighters, and as one of the aircraft suffered an afterburner malfunction, the two jets were forced to return to base.  

This left Kingfish 1 alone.  Now worried about the fate of the two men, Maj. Thorsness flew in circles around them as they made their slow descent to the ground.  He was able to relay their approximate position to an HC-130 command aircraft who began plans for their rescue.  Before they landed safely, a MiG-17 was spotted nearby heading directly towards them.  Even Though his jet was not equipped with air-to-air missiles, Maj. Thorsness immediately engaged the MiG.  He was able to destroy it with his jet’s 20-mm canon, just as a second MiG moved in behind him.  He was able to outrun that MiG and head towards Loas where he planned for in air refueling from a KC-135 tanker.

Two A-1E Sandies arrived to determine Majors Madison and Sterlings exact location while HH-52 Jolly Green helicopters hovered over Laos, awaiting the order to go in and rescue the men.     

Without refueling and with only 500 rounds of ammunition left, Maj. Thorsness returned to the area to provide support to the two Sandies in a rescue combat air patrol, or RESCAP.  As he arrived back, he spotted MiG-17’s flying in a wagon wheel formation around the Sandies, preparing to attack them.  From 2,000 feet away, a MiG flew into his gunsight so Major Thorsness opened fire on it, scoring a direct hit.  As he did this, Capt. Johnson spotted another four MiG’s closing fast on their tail.  He was able to engage his afterburner and lose the MiG’s in the hills and valleys around Hanoi.

The four MiG’s then focused on the two Sandies and were able to shoot down one flown by Major John Hamilton.  Once he heard that this had happened, Maj. Thorsness again turned back, even though he was out of ammunition by this point.  His hope was that he could distract the MiG’s enough to allow the remaining Sandy to safely leave the area.  As he arrived, a third and fourth flight of F-105’s arrived and were able to engage and destroy the MiG’s.

After 50 minutes of ground attacks and aerial dogfights, Maj. Thorsness was in desperate need of fuel.  Just before he connected with the KC-135, another F-105 radioed that he was critically low on fuel.  Maj. Thorsness allowed the other jet to refuel instead of himself, but knowing that he couldn’t wait any longer, he decided to make his way to another base in Thailand.  60 miles out, Maj. Thorsness cut power to his engines and glided towards the air base.  He put his Thunderchief further down the runway than he would have liked, but he did so safely, and as he looked at his fuel indicator, he saw that it showed he was completely out of fuel.

Just 11 days later on April 30, 1967, Maj. Thorsness and Capt. Johnson took part in a Wild Weasel mission, their 93rd of the war, seven shy of completing their tour in combat.  After a successful morning mission, Maj. Thorsness volunteered to join another later in the day, as they faced a crew shortage.  While flying over Northwest North Vietnam, Major Thorsness received an instrument warning that he had been painted by airborne radar.  At that same moment, he saw his wingman, 1LT Robert Abbott, go down in flames after his F-105 was hit by an air to air missile.  

Not long after, Maj. Thorsness was hit as well, forcing him and Capt. Johnson to eject.  The two men made it to the ground but they were nowhere near each other as they had a ridge separating them.  Over the next three hours, a massive rescue mission took place.  Two F-105D aircraft were hit by air to air missiles, with one crashing and the other forced to return to Thailand.  An A-1 Sandy was hit by enemy fire and a rescue Jolly Green helicopter suffered hydraulic problems and had to abort the mission.  As standard operating procedures didn’t allow for a combat search and rescue from a single helicopter, the rescue mission was aborted. 

The two men were eventually captured and Maj. Thorsness, who suffered severe knee injuries when he ejected, was sent to the infamous Hanoi Hilton.  During his time there, he refused to share any information with his captors and was subjected to routine beatings, even having his back broken in four places.  His steadfast adherence to their code of conduct meant that he was forced into solitary confinement for a whole year.  While a prisoner, he learned a tapping code from others, which allowed him and the other prisoners to communicate among themselves.

When out of solitary confinement, he shared a small 6 foot by 7 foot cell with future Senator John McCain where the two would talk about family, faith, friends, and when the war might end.   

By the time Maj. Thorsness and Capt. Johnson were released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973, they had endured six years of confinement.

For their mission on April 19, 1967, Major Leo Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor and Capt. Harrold Johnson was awarded the Air Force Cross.  Maj. Thorsness’ Medal of Honor was approved while he was still in confinement, but this was kept secret so his captors wouldn’t use that information against him.

On October 15, 1973, Maj Leo Thorsness was at a White House Ceremony where President Richard Nixon bestowed the Medal of Honor upon him.

Due to the severity of the injuries he sustained while ejecting and at the hands of his captors, Maj. Thorsness was medically disqualified from flying.  This led him to retire from the Air Force just ten days after receiving the Medal of Honor.  At the time of his retirement, he was promoted to Colonel.

During his 22 year Air Force career, Col. Thorsness received the Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, the Legion Merit, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, 2 Bronze Stars, 2 Purple Hearts, and 10 Air Medals among other awards.

After retiring, he went on to work for a defense contractor and earned a Master's Degree from USC.  After failed congressional and senate campaigns in South Dakota, he was elected a state senator in Washington State. 

Col. Leo Thorsness died on May 2, 2017 at the age of 85 and he is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

To end the episode, I want to share a quote about Col. Leo Thorsness from Senator McCain who got to know him well during their time sharing a cramped prison cell.  He said that he “never let this experience break his spirit, and inspired the rest of us with his patriotism, perseverance, and hope that we would someday be free.”

Thank you for joining us for this episode of Duty & Valor! If you want to dive deeper into the story about this week’s hero, check out our show notes or head over to dutyandvalor.com for the full list of sources.

Be sure to catch new episodes early every Friday at 5 pm on our Duty & Valor YouTube channel, where we also drop daily shorts honoring our heroes, many of whom haven't been featured on the show yet.

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