SEAL Medal of Honor Citations

Joseph Robert "Bob" Kerrey

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving
as a SEAL team leader during action against enemy aggressor (Viet Cong) forces. Acting in response to reliable
intelligence, Lt. (jg.) Kerrey led his SEAL team on a mission to capture important members of the enemy's area
political cadre known to be located on an island in the bay of Nha Trang. In order to surprise the enemy, he and
his team scaled a 350-foot sheer cliff to place themselves above the ledge on which the enemy was located.
Splitting his team in 2 elements and coordinating both, Lt. (jg.) Kerrey led his men in the treacherous downward
descent to the enemy's camp. Just as they neared the end of their descent, intense enemy fire was directed at
them, and Lt. (jg.) Kerrey received massive injuries from a grenade which exploded at his feet and threw him
backward onto the jagged rocks. Although bleeding profusely and suffering great pain, he displayed outstanding
courage and presence of mind in immediately directing his element's fire into the heart of the enemy camp.
Utilizing his radio, Lt. (jg.) Kerrey called in the second element's fire support which caught the confused Viet
Cong in a devastating crossfire. After successfully suppressing the enemy's fire, and although immobilized by
his multiple wounds, he continued to maintain calm, superlative control as he ordered his team to secure and
defend an extraction site. Lt. (jg.) Kerrey resolutely directed his men, despite his near unconscious state,
until he was eventually evacuated by helicopter. The havoc brought to the enemy by this very successful
mission cannot be over-estimated. The enemy soldiers who were captured provided critical intelligence
to the allied effort. Lt. (jg.) Kerrey's courageous and inspiring leadership, valiant fighting spirit, and tenacious
devotion to duty in the face of almost overwhelming opposition sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the
U.S. Naval Service.

Lt. Norris completed an unprecedented ground rescue of 2 downed pilots deep within heavily controlled enemy
territory in Quang Tri Province. Lt. Norris, on the night of 10 April 1972, led a 5-man patrol through 2,000 meters
of heavily controlled enemy territory, located 1 of the downed pilots at daybreak, and returned to the Forward
Operating Base (FOB). On 11 April, after a devastating mortar and rocket attack on the small FOB, Lt. Norris
led a 3-man team on 2 unsuccessful rescue attempts for the second pilot. On the afternoon of the 12th, a
forward air controller located the pilot and notified Lt. Norris. Dressed in fishermen disguises and using a
sampan, Lt. Norris and 1 Vietnamese traveled throughout that night and found the injured pilot at dawn.
Covering the pilot with bamboo and vegetation, they began the return journey, successfully evading a North
Vietnamese patrol. Approaching the FOB, they came under heavy machine gun fire. Lt. Norris called in an air
strike which provided suppression fire and a smokescreen, allowing the rescue party to reach the FOB. By his
outstanding display of decisive leadership, undaunted courage, and selfless dedication in the face of extreme
danger, Lt. Norris enhanced the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while
participating in a daring operation against enemy forces. PO Thornton, as Assistant U.S. Navy Advisor,
along with a U.S. Navy lieutenant serving as Senior Advisor, accompanied a 3-man Vietnamese Navy
SEAL patrol on an intelligence gathering and prisoner capture operation against an enemy-occupied naval
river base. Launched from a Vietnamese Navy junk in a rubber boat, the patrol reached land and was
continuing on foot toward its objective when it suddenly came under heavy fire from a numerically superior
force. The patrol called in naval gunfire support and then engaged the enemy in a fierce firefight, accounting
for many enemy casualties before moving back to the waterline to prevent encirclement. Upon learning that
the Senior Advisor had been hit by enemy fire and was believed to be dead, PO Thornton returned through
a hail of fire to the lieutenant's last position; quickly disposed of 2 enemy soldiers about to overrun the
position, and succeeded in removing the seriously wounded and unconscious Senior Naval Advisor to the
water's edge. He then inflated the lieutenant's lifejacket and towed him seaward for approximately
2 hours until picked up by support craft. By his extraordinary courage and perseverance, PO Thornton
was directly responsible for saving the life of his superior officer and enabling the safe extraction of all
patrol members, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Source: Hall of Heroes