Nov 9
What Vietnam War battlefield rescue is memorialized depicting the only time when one Medal of Honor recipient was rescued by a person who would eventually be awarded a Medal of Honor for rescuing him?
At the entrance of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, a striking ten-foot bronze statue called 'Swim Buddies' commemorates an extraordinary Vietnam War battlefield rescue. The sculpture memorializes the night of October 31, 1972, when SEAL Petty Officer Michael "Mike" Thornton braved enemy fire to carry his critically injured teammate, Lieutenant Thomas "Tommy" Norris, to safety—an act that would result in both men receiving the Medal of Honor, uniquely marking the only time one recipient saved another. Thornton towed Norris for two hours through darkness and surf before they were rescued, exemplifying the SEAL ethos of mutual responsibility known as the "swim buddy" system. Unveiled on November 9, 2013, and commissioned by H. Ross Perot, the statue stands as a powerful symbol of valor and brotherhood at the historic training grounds of America’s original WWII "frogmen."
