View Full Version : My MOH statue Photo
Hopefully OK with regs and mods here. My take on the statue via The National Navy UDT SEAL Museum (https://www.navysealmuseum.org/).
The statue tells the story of Medal of Honor recipient Michael Thornton carrying wounded Medal of Honor recipient Tommy Norris off the battlefield, the only time that has happened in US military history. Their story is captured in the must read book "Honor Bound: Two Navy SEALs, the Medal of Honor, and a Story of Extraordinary Courage." If anyone wants a print of that on canvas, let me know. I will do it at cost for M4C members/any vets who want one, or donate profits to vet causes. Obviously the water marks are removed. One pic on that page is how it looks in my office and is printed on canvas:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1105695150/medal-of-honor-statue-on-canvas
El Vaquero
01-05-22, 02:55
It’s a pretty great story. A few months back I got caught in a YouTube rabbit hole and came across him and his story. I felt shameful that I’d never heard his story before. Here’s a good YouTube link to one of his interviews.
https://youtu.be/tY2zv8CqLhY
It’s a pretty great story. A few months back I got caught in a YouTube rabbit hole and came across him and his story. I felt shameful that I’d never heard his story before. Here’s a good YouTube link to one of his interviews.
https://youtu.be/tY2zv8CqLhY
And that's only half of their story. Norris's experience was made into the movie Bat 21 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094712/), but was told from the pilots side. Someone needs to tell it from Norris's side considering what he did. The op was classified when they made the movie, so can't blame them for not knowing about what Norris did to rescue the pilot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS57YKGHDKc
The book Saving Bravo does a deep dive on Bat 21 and Norris' heroics. Norris said once he kept his MoH in a box in the attic, only bringing it out for ceremonies or special occasions.
No less spectacular than Thornton's actions, presumably swimming with his dead buddy and affecting his rescue.
titsonritz
01-05-22, 12:27
The book Saving Bravo does a deep dive on Bat 21 and Norris' heroics. Norris said once he kept his MoH in a box in the attic, only bringing it out for ceremonies or special occasions.
No less spectacular than Thornton's actions, presumably swimming with his dead buddy and affecting his rescue.
Not just Norris, one of the South Vietnamese was shot in the ass and couldn't swim, so Thornton grabbed him as well and pushed both of them out to sea. Two incredible stories.
And Norris goes on to be an original member of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team as an assault team leader dispite his injuries.
BTW, cool photo, thanks for sharing.
Not just Norris, one of the South Vietnamese was shot in the ass and couldn't swim, so Thornton grabbed him as well and pushed both of them out to sea. Two incredible stories.
And Norris goes on to be an original member of the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team as an assault team leader dispite his injuries.
BTW, cool photo, thanks for sharing.
I had read somewhere (Danny Coulson's book about the FBI maybe) that when Norris got on the HRT (after doing the selection with his injuries) rumors in the team went around about his MoH, a lot of the guys didn't believe it. Someone asked him about it and he was like, "yeah, I'll bring it in if I can find it, it's in a box somewhere." A lot of guys had no idea 'who' he was or what he had done.
Jocko's interview of Mike Thornton, a great listen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYrH5-gItiI
I had read somewhere (Danny Coulson's book about the FBI maybe) that when Norris got on the HRT (after doing the selection with his injuries) rumors in the team went around about his MoH, a lot of the guys didn't believe it. Someone asked him about it and he was like, "yeah, I'll bring it in if I can find it, it's in a box somewhere." A lot of guys had no idea 'who' he was or what he had done.
I have met both of those gents, and they are as low key and seemingly humble as you'd expect.
I have met both of those gents, and they are as low key and seemingly humble as you'd expect.
It's very cool that you get to do what you do. I'd love to do that.
It's very cool that you get to do what you do. I'd love to do that.
It's been a fun experience and one way I can support the community and such being there one day a week and special events. Both of them were at the annual Muster (https://www.navysealmuseum.org/muster) this year, as was who's who in NSW and such. What I enjoy most is the people I get to meet, from gents who trained on that beach for D Day all those years ago, to mil, current and ret, from all over the planet.
As you're not that far away, you should check that out some day.
It's been a fun experience and one way I can support the community and such being there one day a week and special events. Both of them were at the annual Muster (https://www.navysealmuseum.org/muster) this year, as was who's who in NSW and such. What I enjoy most is the people I get to meet, from gents who trained on that beach for D Day all those years ago, to mil, current and ret, from all over the planet.
As you're not that far away, you should check that out some day.
Lol. May as well be on the moon. But you're right, it's not like it's across the country. I'd love to come down.
After my dad died my mom dated a guy who was (claimed) to be UDT in WW2. I don't know why I brought that up, maybe thinking about the annual muster.
Lol. May as well be on the moon. But you're right, it's not like it's across the country. I'd love to come down.
After my dad died my mom dated a guy who was (claimed) to be UDT in WW2. I don't know why I brought that up, maybe thinking about the annual muster.
You have to make a vacation kinda thing of it. It's a very historic location (where we trained for D Day) to the WWII war effort, nice beach, good fishing, relaxed town, etc.
That's a great shot will. The subject is moving, than angle of capture is good, and the overall color allows its arrangement with a wider variety of decor than typical for that subject. Nicely done.
That's a great shot will. The subject is moving, than angle of capture is good, and the overall color allows its arrangement with a wider variety of decor than typical for that subject. Nicely done.
Thanx. All pics I have seen to date, all taken from the same angle, which is from the front. I think the "story" is the angle I took it from, and on canvas, looks great. Decor wise, very low WAF, but in a gun room, office, bar, etc, would look good. The museum may be offering the pic in their shop also.
I went to George W Bush's second Inauguration. The hotel I and my then-wife were staying at was the hotel that the Medal of Honor recipients were staying at as well as quite a few of the police officers that are brought in from each state around the country and sworn in as Special United States Deputy Marshals to act as security for the Inauguration.
I had the opportunity to meet each of the MOH recipients in attendance that year and drink with them several nights in a row. Each one of them, sober and drunk, was humble as can be, and to a man insisted that they did not deserve the Medal. Each said that there were many other people who deserved the MOH far more than they did.
At what was essentially a cop bar, the MOH recipients drank for free, and had lines of drinks in front of them. Three or four of the die-hard MOH recipients were too drunk to have the sense to listen to their FBI detail members and leave the bar when they should when it got late so they would wake up early enough to make their appearance without feeling awful, so my ex-wife and I coaxed them away from the bar and up to their rooms.
Getting to meet them was the greatest honor and thrill of the trip. I ended up getting challenge coins from 14 of them.
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