Once within sight of the American coast, he dove overboard and swam into Mobile, Alabama. Sadler penned the first 22 books, while other writers continued the series. Dont listen to these people, Larry. He escaped and was rearrested a time or two before evading into Sweden. Thank you for your service and what you do! During his first decade of service in the Army, he trained NATO forces in West Germany, and ran a sabotage and reconnaissance school for the 10th Special Warfare Group. BACKGROUND: War hero's unbelievable life in the service of two countries, DNA testing to resolve the fate of Larry Thorne (14.9.1999) Trni was not the only Finnish soldier to serve under more than one flag, as this article indicates: Finnish officer becomes legend in US Army (3.10.2000). On October 18, 1965, he was on a covert mission into Laos, riding in a South Vietnamese Air Force H-34 helicopter. May 9, 2011. Gill, III is a graduate of the Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! His is simply too good of a story, especially with the effects possible today and the renewed interest in historical warfare due to such great games like Call of Duty. Click a location below to find Larry more easily. Would be interested on how you came upon this item to write about. Hi DR. Dabbs, as usual a great article! Legacy Thorne's U.S. memorial is the Larry Thorne Headquarters Building, 10th SFG (A), Fort Carson, Colorado. Larry Alan Thorne was born on May 28, 1919 and joined the Armed Forces while in Norwalk, Connecticut. As Larry Thorne's helicopter and Major Pyles' Bird Dog attempted to descend, the clouds again closed up. He was 36 years old when he attended Airborne school. But instead of surrendering, he joined up with the Nazi German SS to continue his fight against the Soviets. He was assigned to the Military Assistance Command, VietnamStudies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG). His incredible path of true warrior started in Finland when he was born in 1919. Larry Thorne, born August 5, 1956 to the late Jason C. Thorne and Lillian Cooper Thorne in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. | Strategic Landpower Forum. With the new name of Larry Thorne, he became an officer in the Green Berets, of the Army's elite Special Forces, serving in operations in Iran and Vietnam, according to an article last year in Military Review, an Army publication. Yep. In 1957, he commissioned a second lieutenant, and he would rise to the rank of captain just as the war was on the horizon in Vietnam. One of the members of the Finnish team was Thorne's own nephew, Juha Rajala. At the SOG PUC presentation - SOG guys with Larry Thorne Knives Submitted by Jari of Finland: Nugent Cal Ky, President of South Vietnam and Robert L. Noe: LZ Duc Co near the village and the fence along Highway 19. . As usual outstanding story Dr. Will. * The original article was originally published at the We Are The Mighty. Lt. Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. They became known as some special forces who skied into battle against enemy forces. Glad you were identified in 2002, Welcome Home. Pathfinder Publishing Lauri Allan Trni! But then Germany fell, too, and the Finn-turned-Waffen SS officer was arrested by the British, according to War History Online. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal, and the movie Aliens., Previous post: Alaska Arms: Ruger M77 Rings and Extra Round Floorplate, Your email address will not be published. So long as the good folks at GA dont grow weary of me we can keep this up for a while . He was a recipient of the Mannerheim Cross, Finland's highest award for gallantry in the field. I still have a picture of the wanted poster of Larry Thorne that was airdropped over town by the opposing team. The USG has finally closed the case on Larry A. Thorne. Capturing the "times" as well as the "life" of its protagonist, it is a journey with a truly amazing and colorful man. In twelve years of service, he attained the rank of Major. Casca has been in at least 2 films, the series RAGE. The remains were subsequently identified by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. In 1944, during the Finns called The Continuation War, he received Finlands highest military decoration, their version of the Medal of Honor the Mannerheim Cross for his bravery while leading a light infantry battalion. As Christ hangs dying on the cross some of his blood wipes across Cascas lips. Trni still enjoys an awesome reputation amongst military men even today, nearly 40 years after his demise. Dr. During the early years of World War II, he developed, trained and commanded the Finish ski troops. Larry Thorne, missing in action for decades, to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1999 a US/VN JTF/FA conducted an excavation of a CH-34 KINGBEE crash site and recovered several fragments of bones, miscellaneous equipment and a Swedish K SMG. In addition to the FACs, the U.S. Air Force provided a flight of B-57s to conduct a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) for this mission should the ground team run into trouble and greater firepower was needed. In stock "Whenever I think of a country, it brings back memories," he said. Remanded to a POW camp in Lubeck, Torni ultimately escaped and made his way back to Finland soon after VE Day. Menu. He hit the ground running, travelling the globe 280 days out of the year on recovery missions. Leonard E. " Larry " Thorne 08/17/1938 - 04/08/2014 Age 75 Of St. Paul, MN Passed away on April 8, 2014. Separating the remains of the crash victims, however, turned out to be an impossible task, which led to a pragmatic decision to organise a joint burial at Arlington. Country of Loss: South Vietnam (official); Laos (actual) About the author: He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, section 60, tombstone 8136, on 26 June 2003. Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: CH34 Seahorse My stepdad was a civilian spy for Larrys team. [emailprotected]writes: Gentlemen: Great News. The wartime head of the OSS knew of Thorne's commando exploits. His posthumous promotion to Major was approved in December 1965. We must never forget men like Thorne. In the United Sates, Larry Thorne is forgotten by all but a few. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Larry Thorne would have been 97 next month. By the time the U.S. entered Vietnam, Thorne had annihilated enemy forces in waist-deep sub-zero snowdrifts, in mud-covered rainforests and commanded black ops in the Middle East. RT Iowa's landing zone (LZ) would be a slash-and-burn area that resembled an old logging clear-cut from the Pacific Northwest. In US Marines Trni was known as Larry Thorne. Doctor Dabbs, where do you get your seemingly inexhaustible supply of interesting topics to write about? There's a story behind almost every funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, but a group burial at the cemetery earlier this summer was particularly uncommon. Thorne hated the Communists and their ideology so much, it sparked a vendetta he would take to his grave. There are probably 40 or more entries on it right now and I usually add a couple each week. Major Larry Thorne was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on June 26, 2003. works for an aerospace corporation. I recall reading about the Major in the 80s before his remains were recovered, and also again in the very late 90s/early 2000 when his remains were recovered. Casca was in at least 2 films, not majors characters, in one called RAGE, takes place during the Roman invasion of Briton, plays an old wrinkled person but is mentioned as having lived forever, the other was an unremembered movie which wasnt very good! Wounded on several occasions and earning two Purple Hearts, his last mission took place in 1965 when his helicopter went down behind enemy lines across the Laotian border. Many of these reports document LIVE America Prisoners of War remaining captive throughout Southeast Asia TODAY. Subject: Re: Major Larry A. Thorne Deceased 18 Oct.'65 Thorne was born Lauri Allan Trni in Finland in 1919. After Finland fell to the communists, Captain Torni joined the German SS in order to continue fighting the communists. This border road was used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, and was frequently no more than a path cut through the jungle covered mountains. Men who served with him believe that Larry is still alive. To say the life and exploits of Larry Thorne are unbelievable is to put it mildly. Hn palveli Suomen armeijassa kapteenina, kansallissosialistisen Saksan Waffen-SS-joukoissa 1941 Untersturmfhrerin ja 1945 Hauptsturmfhrerin (kapteeni) sek . Thorne had other plans. Not that being put into a prison camp would stop him either. No one was hurt, however, apart from a few bruises and contusions. by J. Michael Cleverley. Your email address will not be published. In case the team was captured the cover story derived for the first Shining Brass mission was that they were looking for a crashed US Air Force C-123 cargo aircraft that was lost near the South Vietnamese/Lao border. Further, in conjunction with planning cross-border missions, Larry Thorne flew as the observer for many intelligence gathering reconnaissance missions over eastern Laos. Thorne first deployed to Vietnam in November of 1963. The Swedish K was an open-bolt full auto-only design of a fairly conventional layout. Lancaster Sara Lee. Deeds that echo from the past The subsequent M76 saw very limited use in the latter stages of the war. Email Us pianolektioner liding Born "Lauri Trni," Thorne fought in Finland's first to last battles with Russia winning the country's equivalent of the . Soon promoted, well deserved They became friends. A captivating story about controversial war hero Larry A. Thorne who during World War II fought against the Russians, under the Finnish flag and later under the German flag. Larry Thorne is the judge of the 317th District Court in Texas. Please keep up the awesome work! Buzz, All Filters. In September 1965, the infiltration of reconnaissance teams into Laos, Codenamed: Shining Brass, was approved, but severe limitations by Washington restricted the teams to penetrate no deeper than 50 kilometers into Laos. Thorne had other plans. Thorne enlisted in 1954 as a private, although he'd spent six years fighting World War II as an officer in two different military commands. He escaped, made his way to the United States, and with the help of Wild Bill Donovan became a citizen. In February 1965, then Captain Larry Thorne returned to Long Thanh, South Vietnam for his second tour of duty. When they climbed back above the cloud cover both Thornes H34 and the Bird Dog were gone. Theyre just bitter and jealous and right. US forces called it the Swedish K or K Rifle. Son of Finland and a Green Beret Repeatedly proving his worth, Thorne advanced in rank and was commissioned a first lieutenant in the U.S. Signal Corps in 1957. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The Mississippi Delta was indeed a fascinating place to grow up. Andrea Ramos, 33, was indicted Wednesday on a charge of making a terroristic threat against 317th District Court Judge Larry Thorne. A few included a superb sound suppressor. He had simply disappeared. My step father, Lockie McFadyen, in Raeford, NC knew Larry Thorne. Select this result to view Larry J Thorne's phone number, address, and more. Thorne didn't. Larry Thorne (born Lauri Trni) was a war hero who fought under three different flags. This anniversary . The Seahorse was frequently used to insert MACV-SOG teams into Laos. Based on that limited evidence coupled with a series of forensic and DNA tests, it has taken the USG till now to arrive at a conclusive decision that this was in fact Larry's ill-fated aircraft. LODGE BILL TROOPS and CPT LARRY THORNE Based on the unit mission and the identities of the soldiers, an aura of secrecy surrounded the 10th Special Forces group in the early days. The last picture of Larry Thorne was taken three days before he disappeared. So they assigned Hollingsworth to the Central Identification Lab, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Larry Thorne, age 86 of Minor Hill passed away Saturday, December 30, 2017. Two of the South Vietnamese lieutenants were identified from DNA samples. You are unique in this day and age. Lauri Allan Trni (28 May 1919 - 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Alan Thorne, was a Finnish-born soldier who fought under three flags: as a Finnish Army officer in the Winter War and the Continuation War ultimately gaining a rank of captain; as a Waffen-SS captain (under the alias Larry Lane) of the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS when he fought the Red Army on the . He was born July 3, 1931 to the late Thomas Aubrey and Maggie Elizabeth Lawrence Thorne. Regardless of his background, each SF volunteer underwent strenuous physical conditioning, including paratrooper training, and was extensively tested to determine his best skills and abilities. US forces used all assets available to them to stop this flow of men and supplies from moving south into the war zone. At the end of the Winter War, Torni joined the German SS to fight the Russians. A new legend has been born Shortly thereafter, Captain Thorne also released Bird Dog 55 and the Huey gunships to return to base. Larry A. Thorne, the name by which Trni is remembered in the United States, was a captain and a Green Beret in the U.S. Special Forces. Abrams Kimberly Storey. In 1999, Thorne's remains were found by a Finnish and Joint Task Force-Full Accounting team excavated a helicopter crash site near Thorn's last suspected location. JTFFA consisted of investigators, linguists, military specialists, DOD civilians, anthropologists and forensic archeologists. However, late in the war, SS formations would have been armed predominantly with the MP40 SMG, the Kar 98k bolt-action rifle, and the MP44 assault rifle. Barry Sadler was a Vietnam-era US Special Forces veteran best known for his hit song, The Ballad of the Green Berets. This book series was titled, Casca, The Eternal Mercenary.. While much of the writing is fairly vapid, that was an incredibly cool plot device. Eventually, he attended airborne school and earned his silver wings as a Green Beret. According to reports, the SAR personnel found and recovered the remains of the South Vietnamese aircrew, but found no sign of Larry Thorne either dead or alive. In a message dated 6/6/03 4:02:23 PM Central Daylight Time, As Shultz tells it, In September 1944, Finland surrendered to the Soviet Union. A Soldier of 3 armies knows the game As a young adult, he enlisted in the Finish Army where he obtained the rank of Captain. Army Special Forces and CIA operators used the weapon as well. Buddy was born in the Mill Village in Cordova, Alabama, on June 12, 1935. In order to control and lead irregular fighters, they had to understand people, languages, and foreign cultures. Oooh we remember, we remember, we remember . According to the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the so-called Winter War lasted from 1939 to 1940. All Local Sales are FREE! When North Vietnam began to increase its military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. FINALLY after 37+ years CLOSURE. Updated by the P.O.W. Great with the kids, they ask to "go see Dr. Thorne". DNA analysis confirmed the identities of the aircrew while dental records proved Lauri Trni alias Larry Thorne had died on that fateful night in 1965, Helsingin Sanomat reported. Doctor Dabbs, I also love your articles wherever I find them. Tainted and painted with the same brush that condemned the SS, even though many were front line soldiers and not the infamous SS Totenkopfverbnde Prison Guards responsible for the atrocities in the labor and death camps. Captain Thorne, who was not about to remain at Kham Duc, was the only passenger aboard the chase aircraft. Like most of Europe, Finland had a tough time of it during the war. 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