Remembering Col. Leo Thorsness

Col. Leo Thorsness was a USAF pilot who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1973 for his heroic actions over North Vietnam in 1967. A member of the Wild Weasels, the squadron assigned to knock out surface-to-air missile installations in North Vietnam, Col. Thorsness saved several of his fellow pilots with his selfless actions and masterful flying over hostile territory in April of 1967. Unfortunately he was shot down several days later and taken prisoner in Hanoi where he spent six years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison compound. Despite three years of torture, he remained one of the leaders of the American POWs during the last years of the war. Upon his return home he received the Medal of Honor from President Nixon.