I'm not sure where this happened. It happened before I really learned what the Medal of Honor meant or what it took to earn one, but I actually got to meet Col Thorsness in person. I thought it was at Webb AFB, when my Dad was an IP there. But come to think of it, my Dad was there in the late 60s, and Col Thorsness was in the kind care of the North Vietnamese (may they rot in hell) at that time. So it probably was a visit when I was in college and he came to visit the ROTC Detachment. In any case, Col Thorsness ranks quite high on my list of folks I wanted to emulate. You'll see why shortly.
Ok, there are a lot of dangerous missions flying fighters. Air to Air isn't a walk in the park, neither is dropping bombs well behind the combat line. Close Air Support is a step up in danger. All of which I have practiced. However, without a doubt the next step up is Wild Weasels attacking and destroying the enemy's anti-aircraft sites. If you can shoot at them, you are in range for them to shoot at you. The only flying mission I can think of that is more dangerous is flying a helicopter into enemy territory to pick up a shot down aircrew.
Just to set the record straight, when an Air Rescue crew walks into a Fighter Bar, they very rarely have to pay for drinks. Just sayin'.
Back on Target, juvat!
On Target, Aye, Sarge!
So, here's Lt Col Thorsness Story. Yes, Beans the picture below is the actual aircraft he flew on his Medal of Honor mission as well as on the same mission he was shot down on and spent six years under the kind care of the North Vietnamese prison guards. Just as a comment the Guards did not like Wild Weasel crew members. You know what I mean. He spent those 6 years getting to know them, unfortunately, very well and in a bad way.
Ok, the following is copied verbatim from Wikipedia. There's a heckuva lot more data and detail than I could rework/reword, so Mea Culpa.
"On April 19, 1967, Major Thorsness and his Electronic Warfare Officer, Captain Harold E. Johnson, flying F-105F AF Ser. No. 63-8301, led Kingfish flight (three F-105F Weasel aircraft and an F-105D single-seater) on a Wild Weasel SAM suppression mission. The strike force target was JCS target 22.00, the Xuan Maiarmy training compound, near heavily defended Hanoi. Thorsness directed Kingfish 03 and 04, the second element of F-105s, to troll north while he and his wingman maneuvered south, forcing defending gunners to divide their attention. Thorsness located two SAM sites and fired a Shrike missile to attack one, whose radar went off the air. He destroyed the second with cluster bombs, scoring a direct hit.
After this initial success, matters turned for the worse. Kingfish 02, crewed by Majors Thomas M. Madison and Thomas J. Sterling. Fying aircraft F-105F AF Ser. No. 63-8341, they were hit by anti-aircraft fire and both crewmen had to eject. Unknown to Thorsness, Kingfish 03 and 04 had been attacked by MiG-17s flying a low-altitude wagon wheel defensive formation. The afterburner of one of the F-105s wouldn't light and the element had disengaged and returned to base, leaving Kingfish 01 to fight solo.
As their F-105 circled the parachutes of Kingfish 02-Alpha and 02-Bravo, relaying the position to Crown, the airborne search and rescue HC-130 command aircraft, Johnson spotted a MiG-17 off their right wing. Thorsness, even though his F-105 was not designed for air-to-air combat, attacked the MiG and destroyed it with 20-mm cannon fire, just as a second MiG closed on his tail. Low on fuel, Thorsness outran his pursuers and left the battle area to rendezvous with a KC-135tankerover Laos.
Thorsness described the incident:
It appeared the MiG was going after the chutes so I took off after him. I was a little high, dropped down to about 1000 feet, and headed north after him. We were doing about 550 knots and really catching up fast. At about 3000 feet (range) I fired a burst but missed. I lined him up again and was closing very fast. I was a bit below him now. At 700 feet or so I pull my trigger and pulled the pipper through him. Parts of his left started coming off. Suddenly I realized that Harry Johnson was frantically trying to get my attention. There were a couple of MiGs on our tail! If I had hit that MiG dead on, we probably would have swallowed some of his debris. But we got him! I lit the burner, dropped down as low as possible, and ducked into the hills west of Hanoi. The MiGs could not keep up with us.
The F-105F, AF Ser. No. 63-8301, flown by Maj Thorsness and Capt Johnson on April 19, 1967.
As this occurred, the initial element of the rescue force—a pair of A-1E "Sandies"—arrived to locate the position of the downed crewmen before calling in the waiting HH-53 Jolly Green helicopters orbiting at a holding point over Laos. Thorsness, with only 500 rounds of ammunition left, turned back from the tanker to fly RESCAP(rescue combat air patrol) for the Sandies and update them on the situation and terrain. As Thorsness approached the area, briefing the Sandies, he spotted MiG-17s in a wagon wheel orbit around him and attacked, probably destroying another that flew across his path.
He commented:
One of the MiGs flew right into my gunsight at about 2000 feet (range). I pulled the trigger and saw pieces start falling off the aircraft. They hadn't seen us, but they did now! Johnson shouted at me that we had four more MiGs on our tail and they were closing fast. I dropped down on the deck, sometimes as low as fifty feet, hit the burner, and twisted through the hills and valleys trying to lose them.
Pairs of MiGs attacked each propeller-driven Sandy as it came out of its turn in search orbit, shooting down the leader (Maj. John S. Hamilton in A-1E 52-133905) with cannon fire when he failed to heed warnings from Sandy 02 to break into the attack, and forced the wingman into a series of repeated evasive turns. Sandy 02 reported the situation and Thorsness advised him to keep turning and announced his return.
Although all of his ammunition had been depleted, Thorsness reversed and flew back to the scene, hoping in some way to draw the MiGs away from the surviving A-1. However, as he re-engaged, Panda flight from the 355th TFW strike force arrived back in the area. It had dropped its ordnance on the target and was en route to its post-strike aerial refueling when Kingfish 02 went down. Panda had jettisoned its wing tanks, making the rescue radar controller reluctant to use it to CAP the rescue effort, but it filled its internal tanks and returned to North Vietnam at high altitude to conserve fuel.
Panda's four F-105s burst through the defensive circle at high speed, then engaged the MiGs in a turning dogfight, permitting Kingfish 01 to depart the area after a 50-minute engagement against SAMs, antiaircraft guns, and MiGs. Panda 01 (Capt William E. Eskew) shot down a MiG, during which the surviving Sandy escaped, and he and his wingman Panda 02 (Capt Paul A. Seymour) each damaged one of the others. Two other MiGs were shot down by members of a third F-105 strike flight, Nitro 01 (Major Jack W. Hunt) and Nitro 03 (Maj Theodore G. "Ted" Tolman), in another of the 17 MiG engagements on this mission.
Again low on fuel and facing nightfall, Thorsness was headed towards a tanker when Panda 03 (Capt Howard L. Bodenhamer), an F-105 of the flight that had rescued Sandy 02, transmitted by radio that he was critically low on fuel. Thorsness quickly calculated that Kingfish 01 had sufficient fuel to fly toUdorn, near theMekong Riverand200 miles (320km)closer, so he vectored the tanker toward Panda 03. When within60 miles (97km)of Udorn, he throttled back to idle and "glided" toward the base, touching down "long" (mid-runway) as his fuel totalizer indicated empty tanks. Johnson told Thorsness upon touchdown, "Leo, that was a full day's work." Source
With reference to the last of that passage, I'll bet it was!
Unfortunately on a similar mission 2 weeks later, he and his backseater were shot down and got to spend 6 years under the kind care of the North Vietnamese. Both survived that adventure and returned to active duty.
However, the treatment they received caused both to be grounded from flying. Both retired from the Air Force as Full Bird Colonels. Col Thorsness passed away in 2017. Rest in Peace, Hero! and Thanks.
Once again, Lord, Where do we get such men? He earned his eternal reward on May 2, 2017. Rest in Peace, Sir!
Citation for the Award of the Medal of Honor to Col Leo K. Thorsness
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,
Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness was on a surface-to-air missile suppression
mission over North Vietnam. Lieutenant Colonel 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 the attack on the second missile site,
Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness' wingman was shot down by intensive
antiaircraft fire, and the two crewmembers abandoned their aircraft.
Lieutenant Colonel 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.
Lieutenant Colonel 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 two helicopters were orbiting over the downed
crew's position and that there were hostile MIGs in the area posing a
serious threat to the helicopters, Lieutenant Colonel Thorsness, despite
his low fuel condition, decided to return alone through a hostile
environment of surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft defenses to the
downed crew's position. As he approached the area, he spotted four
MIG-17 aircraft and immediately initiated an attack on the MIGs,
damaging one 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, Lieutenant Colonel 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.
Lieutenant Colonel 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.
A number of times over the last year I've learned to check Facebook before wishing someone a happy birthday. Too many times I've checked on an elderly buddy only to discover that he'd passed away at some date in the past, since his/her last birthday.
Now Facebook is kind of an odd thing. I have many friends there whom I've never met in person. Why am I friends with them on Facebook? Common interests, knowing people in the real world we have in common. It's also a great way to keep up with family when those family are spread over the world.
Some of my Facebook friends are folks I used to work with, being retired (twice over now) there are folks I don't want to lose touch with.
That opening picture? I got that from a friend who did it using some sort of AI tool. I thought it came out very well.
The central character is a badger, an American badger to be more specific. He's surrounded by cats, all walking into the sunset. It looks as though they are emerging from a forest, following a narrow path which leads to a clearing.
There's a saying in one of my circle of friends "they've entered the clearing, at the end of the path." Signifying that that person, or beloved pet, we'll get to that, has passed from this existence to the next. Whatever that might be.
That saying comes from The Dark Tower by Stephen King¹ -
“Go now. Our journey is done. And may we meet again, in the clearing, at the end of the path.”
We have other sayings about death, some far cruder, some perhaps more enlightened.
Now to specifics.
I first encountered this fellow over at the old Neptunus Lex blog. He commented as "SCOTTtheBADGER," as his first name is Scott, and he's from Wisconsin, the moniker made sense. (Far better than some I've seen.)
He was a gentle soul, he loved cats, he lived on a farm and had a large number of cats, working and homebodies, that he called friend. He posted a lot of photos on Facebook of him and his cats, usually them piled on top of him during a cold Wisconsin winter.
His birthday was the 21st of August, as Scott was in his mid-sixties² and in relatively good health, at least he hadn't reported any recent ailments, I went ahead and posted on his page for his birthday. Later in the day I saw a post in one of my Facebook groups that Scott had actually passed away, one week before his birthday.
I was stunned, to say the least.
There's just been too much of this death crap going around lately. I know, I know, it's part of that whole "circle of life" thing, but I still hate it.
A friend of mine from the old days on Okinawa lost his wife this year, a cherished colleague from work passed away in May, my daughter's dog of 14 years died, one of my best friends lost her cat of 15 years recently, the list continues. I hesitate to check my phone/computer in the mornings these days for fear of someone else entering the clearing at the end of the path.
There are those who say, "they're in a better place now, no more pain, no more sorrow." I do believe that, the pain and the sorrow is left for those of us mourning our dead.
I mourn you Scott, I truly do. You were a gentle soul, a fellow lover of the feline race, and a good, solid human being.
Though we never met in person, and I hate to realize that now we won't have that chance, I felt I knew you as a person. I counted you as a friend, a comrade, a fellow veteran.
Scott mourned the loss of a number of his feline friends over the years, he had just commemorated the one year anniversary of the passing of one of his favorites. Now he can be with them.
I shall truly miss you, brother.
See you in the clearing someday.
As to the question in the title ...
Someday we'll know.
¹ Before becoming a political radical he was a very good writer. I'll say no more about that.
² I thought Scott was in his fifties, a mutual friend notified me of the error, so I corrected this. Still far too young in my opinion.
So yeah, had some soreness (of the painful type) in my right knee on the drive back from Maryland last Sunday. Thought nothing of it, after climbing all over four ships the Thursday before, just figured it for an old age thing.
Friday The Missus Herself needed a new ID, so to the naval station we went, where I discovered that walking was really painful, unless I moved really, really slow.
After the appointment, it was worse. So off to Urgent Care we went. Almost couldn't make it into the building. Once inside, they gave me a wheelchair. Then poked me for blood, had me don a gown so that they could x-ray my knee.
Everything came back normal. The doctor was kinda stunned that my knee showed no evidence of arthritis, kinda stunned me too.
First thought was gout ...
Nope.
Second thought was something skeletal ...
Nope.
So I've got an orthopedic appointment sometime in my future, for now it's ibuprofen and a steroid (prednisone). Awfully hard to get around, as I write this I walk like a ninety year old man. Right leg won't support any weight at all.
Fortunately, The Missus Herself found the crutches which I had received after having run afoul of Bear who wanted to sniff the flowers while we were out walking. You can read about that here.
So I won't have to sleep in the dining room at the table tonight. I've got that going for me.
It doesn't hurt if I don't move it.
As I live on Earth, I do need to move occasionally, it's gonna be a LONG night methinks.
Getting old ain't for sissies.
Author's Note: This post is dedicated to the memory of my friend Scott the Badger. Friday was his birthday, told him happy birthday on Failbook, only to discover an hour or so later that Scott had passed away on the 14th of August. Damn, that sucks.
I'll always see him in the comments here, gone too soon, brother. Gone too soon.
Ok, Campers, looks like some progress is being made on our "forever" home. The base for the flooring is pretty much laid out. Still need electricity, sewage and water roughed in. Contractor says he expects to lay concrete next Monday. Hurrah. And he says given how "warm" it is it should cure in about a week. "Warm" being a Texan word for "Hot as Hades".
Just so you know.
Horse Barn
The Horse Barn is coming along nicely. Just ordered the stall fences and gates and as soon as that's delivered (about a week to 10 days), that'll go in and the walls and roof will be installed. Then we'll get the fencing installed for their paddock, hook up water and rescue them from their current accommodations. I think they'll be happy.
Brother's cabin
This would be the base for my Brother's house. As you can see, the base has already been poured. It's a bit smaller, so a bit easier to do. Also, being August in Texas, a bit more shade is always appreciated.
So...Things seem to be going well. Keep your fingers crossed. Still looking at a December project completion date probably, but one can be hopeful.
Your Humble Scribe, Roberto, and The Missus Herself Yes, Roberto is wielding wooden swords ... OAFS Photo
I've been meaning for some time to get to the Baltimore Inner Harbor area to see the Constellation. The trip down to Maryland for Roberto's birthday provided that opportunity as it was the lad's birthday and he wanted to see the ships in Baltimore.
"Ships?" says I, "I thought there was but the one."
"No Grandpa, there are four ships!"
And sure enough, there were. There's a WWII US submarine, the USS Torsk. There's a Coast Guard cutter, USCGC 37, launched as the USCGC Roger B. Taney. Then there's a lightship, the LS-116 Chesapeake, a ship which I'd read about long ago, and had forgotten, seeing her tied up at the pier brought some of those memories back, a very cool ship. Last, and certainly not least, there is the USS Constellation. Not one of the original six frigates, though she looks like a frigate to me, officially she's a sloop-of-war. She was the last sail only ship commissioned by the Navy. She is really, really cool.
The sail of USS Torsk OAFS Photo
Roberto and Tuttle pursuing a photo-op The Chesapeake Lightship is in the background OAFS Photo
Nothing pleases the Sarge more than walking an old-timey gundeck. OAFS Photo
Old ship, new skyline - the Baltimore Inner Harbor is pretty awesome OAFS Photo
Peeking into the Cap'n's cabin OAFS Photo
We had a very good time celebrating Roberto's natal day, had lunch at the Hard Rock Café, yes I have the t-shirt. It goes well with the one I got from the Hard Rock Café in New Orleans. I went into the one in Venice (Italy) but didn't get a t-shirt as the place was mobbed so we didn't actually eat there.
Unfortunately The Nuke was out of town most of the week, only managing to get home late in the evening on Roberto's birthday. To make up for her missing the trip to the ships, we went to the National Aquarium on the Saturday after Roberto's birthday. Got to see sharks, dolphins, even saw a sloth! It too is a very cool place. Well, except for the rain forest exhibit, hot and humid as one might expect. (Hey, it's a TROPICAL rain forest, innit?)
Just missed a dolphin, there were at least three of 'em frolicking. I was so enthralled I forgot I had a camera until the last minute. OAFS Photo
The obligatory photo in the megalodon's mouth! That's Roberto (left) and his brother Finnegan (right) OAFS Photo
With The Nuke out of town, and his in-laws visiting (that would be us), Tuttle wanted to make sure we ate well. I mean the lad can cook and cook well (master of the grill) but The Nuke is a very talented chef. Rather than having Tuttle slaving over a hot grill after working all day, we went out to eat, a lot. Which, I might add, I really enjoy doing.
One afternoon we went to this place -
OAFS Photo
When I mentioned my surprise that the old logo was up there, Tuttle seemed surprised. Apparently he had been unaware of the controversy surrounding the replacement, and resurrection, of that logo. Well, he is an engineer, and he works a lot, so ...
Anyhoo, the food there ain't bad, at least mine was quite tasty. The Missus Herself is a sharp critic of restaurants, if the food is simply "okay" in her view, she will not sing its praises. I tell you, if a restauranteur wanted high praise, The Missus Herself is far more critical than Michelin, they should ask her.
I believe she has three ratings for restaurant food: "not good," "okay," and "not bad." The latter being high praise indeed. She does have one rating which is seldom used, I've heard her use it twice. Once for the lobster rolls at Chelo'sand again for the fajitas at the Hard Rock Café, both meals are superb. The Missus Herself rated those as "really good." Twice I've heard her rate a meal that way. Twice!
So that's what I did for part of my summer vacation, summer ain't over yet, not sure if I will be traveling again before the summer ends, but ya never know. I'm no globe trotter like juvat and his clan, but I get around. More so than I used to, I mean, I've got the time now, don't I?
I wrote this and a few other postings while I was on the airliner to and fro to London for our cruise. So this is a week or so old. Sorry.
This Medal of Honor series has been an enjoyable research episode. I've learned quite a bit about the Medal of Honor's history. (Yes, Beans, I still have a few more USAF Recipients to report upon.) Just thought I'd do some background. So...
This is what I thought capturing the flag involved. I wasn't wrong and the flag for both sides was generally the communication and organization method used by the commanding general to control their troops in battle up to and including the Civil War. After the Civil War, military units started stopping carrying the colors and were replaced with the invention of the radio.
However, up to that point, in American battles, capturing the enemy's flag or protecting yours was a common reason to award the Medal of Honor. In the Civil War, There were 1523 Medal of Honor Recipients, many, if not most, were capturing or protecting the flag.
Jacob Parrish was the First Recipient of the Medal of Honor. His Award reads First US MOH Recipient.
:
One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of
Gen. Mitchell (or Buell) penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy
territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an
attempt to destroy the bridges and tracks between Chattanooga and
Atlanta.
Jacob Parrish was the First Recipient of the Medal of Honor. His Citation reads:
"One of the 19 of 22 men (including 2 civilians) who, by direction of
Gen. Mitchell (or Buell) penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy
territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, Ga., in an
attempt to destroy the bridges and tracks between Chattanooga and
Atlanta."
The
picture above links to a story of the Medal of Honor to George W. Reed,
the hero mentioned in the picture above. A very interesting story and
the Honoree survived the event and the Civil War, passing in 1906.
OK, Juvat why was capturing the enemy's flag such a big deal? A good question that finding the answer was rewarding.
Good question, I didn't know, but a little internet research......
"Capturing an enemy’s battle flag during the Civil War was considered one of the most dangerous and significant acts of valor because the flag was the regiment’s most important battlefield reference point.
Military importance of the flag In the pre‑radio era, regimental colors were carried by a color bearer and guarded by a small “color guard.” They served as the primary visual guide for troop movements in the smoke and chaos of battle, directing soldiers forward or back, and often acting as rallying points Congressional Medal of Honor Society+1. Losing the flag meant confusion, disarray, and the risk of friendly fire. Both Union and Confederate soldiers knew that killing or capturing the color bearer was a major tactical blow Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
High risk of capture Because of their strategic value, enemy flags were heavily defended. Penetrating the color guard’s defenses and returning with the flag required bravery in the face of heavy fire. Many attempts failed, and those who succeeded often did so at great personal cost theedgeofmemory.com.
Symbolic and morale impact Capturing a flag was not just a tactical win — it was a morale boost for the capturing side and a blow to the enemy’s cohesion. It could demoralize troops, disrupt command, and signal to the enemy that their unit was vulnerable National Cemetery Administration. In some cases, like Thomas Custer’s double-flag capture, the act honored two enemy regiments at once National Cemetery Administration.
Examples of Medal of Honor captures Several Medal of Honor recipients were honored for flag captures, including:
- Corporal George W. Reed (1864) capturing the 24th North Carolina Infantry’s flag during the Weldon Railroad campaign Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
- Corporal Harrison Collins (1864) killing a Confederate major and routing his men to secure a flag theedgeofmemory.com.
- Major William B. Hincks (1863) capturing a Confederate 14th Tennessee Infantry flag during Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg www.war.gov.
- Captain Thomas Custer (1865) capturing two Confederate flags at Namozine Church and Sailor’s Creek National Cemetery Administration.
In summary: Capturing the flag earned a Medal of Honor because it was a rare, high‑risk feat that disrupted enemy command, boosted friendly morale, and demonstrated exceptional courage under fire — all of which aligned with the criteria for the nation’s highest military honor"
A lot, if not most, of the Civil War Recipients received the Medal because of this action. Who am I to judge?
Taken verbatim from here Bing.Com (The link is embedded.)
I found this whole subject very interesting and time consuming, but...when you're on two flights totaling 34 hours of your time going to and fro, what else do you have to do!
