Leo Thorsness was a highly decorated American pilot of the Vietnam War. He was a Medal of Honor recipient and spent six years as a prisoner of war.
Thorsness was born on Feb. 14, 1932, in Walnut Grove, Minnesota and grew up on the family farm. He attended South Dakota State University in 1950, then enlisted in the Air Force a year later. After joining the Air Force, he graduated in 1964 from what is now the University of Nebraska at Omaha and later received a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California. His first operational flying was in F-84 Thunderstreaks with the 31st Strategic Fighter Wing in Albany, Georgia. He later flew the F-100 Super Sabre before transitioning to the F-105 Thunderchief.
He began his missions in Vietnam in 1966. He was assigned to the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Hie flew 92 Wild Weasel missions, they were tasked with destroying surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) based in North Vietnam in order to protect fighter-bombers during raids.
On April 19, 1967, Thorsness was the lead pilot in a U.S. F-105 fighter-bomber attacking surface-to-air missile sites near Hanoi. He and his electronic warfare officer, Harold Johnson, knocked out one site with a missile and scored a direct hit on another. They realized that one plane in their group had been hit, and the crew members had ejected. While flying in circles over the parachuting airmen, Thorsness spotted an enemy MiG-17 fighter jet and shot it down. As U.S. rescue helicopters approached, Thorsness heard through his radio that another MiG formation was nearby. Despite being low on fuel and ammunition, he flew through antiaircraft fire and single-handedly engaged four MiGs in aerial combat.
As he returned to his base, he was about to refuel from an airborne tanker when he learned another F-105 in his group was lower on fuel. Thorsness allowed the other plane to refuel first. When he finally touched down, his fuel tanks were empty.
Eleven days later on April 30, Thorsness was shot down over North Vietnam on his 93rd mission. He suffered serious leg injuries when he was ejected. As a result, he and Captain Harold Johnson were taken prisoner. Thorsness was held in solitary confinement at the Hanoi Hilton and tortured almost every day. His back was broken in four places. It was there that Thorness and other POWs learned the tap code, which allowed POWs to communicate through their cells. At the Hanoi Hilton, he was a cellmate of John McCain. Thorsness was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973. Later that year, he was presented the Medal of Honor from President Richard M. Nixon for his actions on April 19, 1967. Thorness later retired from the military at the rank of Colonel.
Following his time in the military, Thorsness entered politics. He ran for U.S. Senate in 1974 but lost to George McGovern, who had run an unsuccessful presidential campaign against Nixon. Four years later, Thorsness ran for a seat in the House of Representatives, but lost narrowly to Tom Daschle, who went on to serve as the Senate majority leader. After working as an executive for Litton Industries in California, Thorsness moved to the Seattle area. He served in the Washington state senate from 1988 to 1992.
Thorsness passed away in May of 2017 at the age of 85
Stirring Up a Hornet’s Nest of MiGs: Maj. Leo Thorsness and Capt. Harold Johnson
On April 19, 1967, Maj. Leo Thorsness (pilot) and Capt. Harold Johnson (EWO) led a Wild Weasel formation on a mission against the Xuan Mai army barracks about 30 miles southwest of Hanoi. After they silenced one SAM site and destroyed another, enemy anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) shot down the accompanying F-105F carrying Majs. Tom Madison and Tom Sterling. Now alone, Thorsness and Johnson remained behind to cover them and radio rescue forces. Johnson spotted a MiG-17, and Thorsness shot it down with 20mm fire.
Low on fuel, they sped off to a tanker to fill up. Returning to cover the rescue forces, Thorsness and Johnson engaged three MiG-17s, damaging one of them. Then Johnson spotted four MiGs coming up behind them, and Thorsness evaded the MiGs by speeding away at low altitude through nearby mountain passes. Despite being out of ammunition, Thorsness and Johnson yet again returned to draw the MiGs off the rescue forces, but fighter support arrived to take over. Unfortunately, in spite of their heroic efforts, the rescue had to be called off due to the overwhelming enemy defenses, and Madison and Sterling were captured.
As they headed toward the only KC-135 tanker in the area, an F-105 pilot radioed he was lost and nearly out of fuel. Although dangerously short of fuel himself, Thorsness convinced the only tanker in the area to fly to the F-105. By giving up the chance to refuel, the other F-105 was saved. With no time to spare, Thorsness idled the aircraft to Udorn, the nearest friendly base. When they landed, the fuel indicator read “empty.” As he left the cockpit, Johnson understatedly commented to Thorsness: “That’s a full day’s work.”
For valor in combat above and beyond the call of duty, Maj. Thorsness was awarded the Medal of Honor, and Capt. Johnson was awarded the Air Force Cross.
