Michael Thornton Interview (page: 7 / 9) Medal of Honor	Print Interview

How do you make sense of all of this afterward? Does it create a sense of confidence that you got through it, that you've been saved by your comrade?

Thomas Norris: Absolutely. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Mike.

Michael Thornton: He went through three years of rehabilitation.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Thomas Norris: You have to understand that we had a job to do, which we'd been trained very well to do. It was an unusual job, an unconventional job, a highly dangerous job, but you ran your missions because that's what you were sent there to do. And you never thought about, "Gosh, I almost didn't make it back from this one," or "Boy, I was successful on that one," or "We got ambushed on this one and we almost didn't make it out," you know, "Am I going to make it on the next one? Are my people going to make it back?" You don't think about those things. Each mission is an objective that you set out to accomplish and go after. Then you forget about that and you go on to the next one. How did this affect me? If you're asking me how did this affect me after the fact once I was wounded, obviously it changed my whole lifestyle and existence. I wanted to be a -- I mean, I no longer could stay in the Navy. I went into the hospital. I spent from 1972 to 1975 in surgeries. And after that until 1978 in minor surgeries, so I was going back and forth for repair work. The Navy retired me as a result of that, and wouldn't let me stay with the unit. So that part of my life totally changed. I was now -- I mean -- I had the injuries that I had to deal with. But some people look at you and say, "How did you make it through that?" And I think the reason I made it through was because of the type of training that I had way back when we went through basic DDT SEAL training. I mean there's an ingrown desire and determination that you're not going to quit no matter what. And the doctors even came in and said, "We didn't think we were ever going to save you." He said, "I don't know how you made it -- stayed alive and made it through but --" he said, "You just wouldn't give up."

[ Key to Success ] Preparation

I think that's part of what it was.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. You just have a determination not to give up. And my injury -- when you see the death and destruction to other people that you see in war -- I mean what I have is nothing. So I lost an eye and part of my head and brain and had some other bodily injuries. But what is that? I mean, I have another eye. You just go on. You go on with what you've got left and make the best of it.

[ Key to Success ] Perseverance

Michael Thornton: Just be happy with life itself, period. I mean, I live every day to the fullest, you know. That's what I tried to tell these young kids out here, you know. Yeah, set your goals out there but make them reachable, because, you know, every day every situation changes, and that's in every day life. That's not just in the war, you know.

I'll always have the memories of guys I lost over there. And I've lost friends since the war, but I'll always have the memories.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. The riches are great, but riches aren't everything, because when you go you can only take your memories and your word and your honor to the grave with you.

[ Key to Success ] Integrity

Tom, you not only recovered from your injuries, but you embarked on another career. Would you tell us how you made this transition in your life?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Thomas Norris: As a result of my injuries I was in the hospital for quite a long period of time. I was operated on for minor surgeries from 1972 through 1975, when I was retired from the military as a result of my injuries. And then I was in for minor surgery through 1978. So my life during that time was pretty much controlled by hospitalization and when I needed to be there for medical treatment. My spirits were very positive. I mean, you know, I was alive! It's just another offset in my physical stature, but you just learn to live with what you have. I mean, I had a very serious injury as Mike explained. A good portion of my head was blown away, which I had to deal with, and which would restrict me from doing some of the things that I would normally otherwise be able to do. But in the whole realm of things, when you look at the injury I received, compared to injuries I'd seen while you were overseas where you see devastation and people torn to pieces -- I mean, my injury was insignificant. I mean, it's just something that happened. Now that it happened, you know, let's make the best of it and get on with your life. So that's kind of the way I viewed it.

[ Key to Success ] Perseverance

Because of the medical treatment that I was receiving, I was restricted from becoming involved in any other type of activity. At the time it wasn't like I could go looking for a job. When that time came, I knew what I wanted to do. When I was in college my studies were towards criminology, and that's the field I wanted to be in.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. I wanted to be an FBI agent, so I started pursuing that avenue. I had a very good friend who was an ex-Navy SEAL who had since been in the FBI. I contacted him. I went over and interviewed with him, as well as a number of people -- agents in the office. And the outcome of all of that was we did quite a bit of research to determine whether or not there was any other people in the FBI who had injuries similar to mine. And there had been an agent who had lost his eye while he was on active duty, but that was the only incident we could find. And I no longer -- obviously I did not meet the physical requirements to become an agent. So we decided pretty much in order that if I was going to become accepted at all I would need to have a waiver through the Director of the FBI. So I wrote him a letter requesting that he waiver my disabilities. And it was Judge Webster, William Webster was the Director of the FBI at that time. And surprisingly, he wrote back and said, "If you can pass the same test as anybody else applying for this organization, I will waiver your disabilities."

[ Key to Success ] Integrity

I also had to get an age waiver since I was already over the maximum age to be hired as an agent by the Bureau. Once that happened, I was on a fast track to take the examinations, have them graded and approved, take the physical testing, and the agent interview, and get in the chain of eligible agents to be selected. Even though you've passed all the tests, the Bureau selects its people depending on how many people pass the test and are waiting for a class.

What year was this?

Thomas Norris: 1979. I did very, very well. So I was brought in to the Bureau. As a matter of fact, I asked for a little delay because I needed a little time to adjust. I was brought in as an agent in September of 1979.

Returning for a moment to Michael Thornton, did you stay in Vietnam after the incident we discussed or did you come straight home?

Michael Thornton: No, I stayed over there for a while. I was at home in March of 1973 and it was Woody Woodruff -- the guy that was on the extraction and insertion boat for Tommy who came and knocked on my door. He said, "I don't know if you've heard or not. You've been submitted for the Congressional Medal of Honor."

I was already home with my wife and my two children. I didn't believe it. But the next thing I knew I got a letter -- a message to SEAL Team ONE -- that, "You will receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Your name is being carried through all these different boards..." Because it goes through several boards, and it goes to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It's the one medal that all the Joint Chiefs have to say thumbs up on. After it goes through the Joint Chiefs, it goes to the Senate, but after the Joint Chiefs give their blessing, the Senate and the Congress and the President are just a formality.

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