News left, thinking that the Americans and South Vietnamese had been killed. Thornton bandaged Norris' wound as well as he could and swam for about three hours. One of the South Vietnamese was finally picked up by the junk. He reported that the two Americans were dead, which was relayed to the Newport News. Thornton fired Norris' AK-47 to draw the attention of the junk. They were picked up and then transported to the Newport News. Thornton carried Norris to the operating room, where the doctor told Thornton, "There's no way he's going to make it." For these actions, Thornton was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon during a ceremony at the White House on October 15, 1973. The man Thornton rescued, Thomas Norris, survived his wounds and was awarded the Medal of Honor from President Gerald R. Ford in a White House ceremony on March 6, 1976, for his April 1972 rescue of Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton and First Lieutenant Mark Clark in the rescue of Bat 21 Bravo. Thornton received a commission in 1982 as a limited duty officer and retired from the navy as a lieutenant in 1992. Citation Awards and decorations Special Warfare insignia Naval Parachutist insignia Surface Warfare Officer insignia Diving Officer insignia Later career From 1974 to 1977, Thornton served as a BUD/S instructor at NAB Coronado, California, and in 1978 was selected to serve two years with the British Special Boat Squadron (SBS) in an exchange billet. In 1980, Thornton was chosen by Commander Richard Marcinko to be a founding member of SEAL Team Six, the U.S. Navy's first unit dedicated to counter-terrorism. Thornton later became a commissioned officer in June 1982 and retired as a lieutenant in 1992. He currently sits on the board of advisors for Veterans Direct. In 2001, Thornton received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Lt. Thomas R. Norris, USN. Publications Written with Thomas R. Norris and Dick Couch See also List of Medal of Honor recipients for the Vietnam War Footnotes External links Interview with Michael Thornton at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library Interview with Michael Thornton by Jocko Willink Interview with Michael Thornton and Thomas Norris at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library 1949 births United States Navy personnel of the Gulf War United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War Living people