The subsequent M76 saw very limited use in the latter stages of the war. Larry Thorne (born Lauri Trni) was a war hero who fought under three different flags. While much of the writing is fairly vapid, that was an incredibly cool plot device. Because Lauri Allan Torni was a decent approximation of a real-live modern-day Casca. The KP saw service all the way through the Israeli War for Independence and the Korean War. During one particularly intense attack on CIDG forces at Tjnh Bien he earned a Bronze Star for Valor. The book Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry A Thorne by J. Michael Cleverley inspired the song's lyrics. Will works in his own urgent care clinic, shares a business build-ing precision rifles and sound suppressors, and has written for the gun press since 1989. As the legendary leader of one of the most elite companies in the Finnish army, one of the best armies of World War II, Thorne carried a price on his head, dead or alive, from the Red Army, reputedly the only Finnish soldier so singled out. Son of Finland and a Green Beret The Army would regularly conduct war games that interacted with the civilian population. He fought under three flags: Finland (The Finnish Army during the Winter War and Continuation War) Germany (one of the Finnish SS-volunteers) USA (joined the US Army, known as Larry Thorne) Cheers, For each sold 100 years anniversary knife we will forward 50 to support Larry Thorne heritage guild. After the wars, he moved to the United States. According to the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the so-called Winter War lasted from 1939 to 1940. This anniversary . He had simply disappeared. The crazy story of the man who fought for Finland, the Nazis, and US Army Special Forces. Name: Larry Alan Thorne He graduated from Cordova High School in 1953. They recovered several fragments of bones and a Swedish-made machine pistol that Thorne carried with him. Leading a special hand-picked unit, Thorne operated deep behind enemy lines for extended periods. 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. Thorne was declared killed in action by the Army in 1966. Commander U.S. Navy 1964-1970 10-103 Lakeview Dr. Rancho Mirage, Ca 92270 760-328-0859 dr.dave.psam@gmail.com read more POSTED ON 7.29.2022 POSTED BY: Lucy Micik Thank You Dear Maj Larry Thorne, Thank you for your service as a Special Forces Qualified Infantry Unit Commander. The helicopter crashed on a mountain-top in a severe thuderstorm. The fourth was a Finnish war hero from World War II who later became a legendary U.S. Special Forces officer, portrayed on film by John Wayne. 1-800-977-2282 Larry was retired from the United. My stepdad was a civilian spy for Larrys team. Soviet enemy #1. Thank you again Doctor, for bringing Thorne to a new generation. Refine Your Search Results. Prior to his final mission, Larry Thorne had been recommended for promotion to Major and was being groomed for a staff position as an intelligence officer. Contents hide 1 Introduction 2 The Nazi era 3 Joining the US Army Special Forces Born Lauri Allan Torne in Finland, in 1919, Thorne would distinguish himself, leading an elite detachment of Finnish ski troops (think James Bond) on raids behind Soviet lines, commanding a Waffen-SS sabotage squad, and unleashing such crippling guerrilla attacks against the Soviets that they put an unheard-of 3 million Finnish mark bounty on his head. Actress and singer Annabella Avery "Bella" Thorne, known for Shake It Up (2010), The DUFF (2015), Blended (2014), and Midnight Sun (2018), was born in Pembroke Pines, Florida, to Tamara (Beckett) and Delancey Reinaldo "Rey" Thorne. He departed his life June 23, 2020, at home in Welcome, Maryland. "The message to our troops is: we will bring you home. Limited 100 pcs Larry Thorne 100 years anniversary knife has individual engraved numbering, 1/100 - 100/100. These and other feats made Thorne a military legend long before he became a political refugee, jumping overboard from a cargo ship in the Gulf of Mexico near Mobile and eventually joining the Army. Into Germany and USA, NETWORK 2003. works for an aerospace corporation. By the time he has lived a century or two Casca gets very, very good at the art of soldiering. US forces called it the Swedish K or K Rifle. In twelve years of service, he attained the rank of Major. ISBN : 0-934793-65-4 Other Personnel In Incident: (none missing). As many of you are aware Larry was lost in the clouds on 18 October 1965 on a CH-34 KINGBEE helicopter from the 219th Vietnamese Air Force Squadron while performing a C&C mission out of Kham Duc for the very first OP-35 cross-border reconnaissance mission (RT Iowa) being conducted by Charles Slats Petry, Willie Card and four little people and never seen again. "Being assigned to JTFFA was an opportunity to serve my country and bring our guys home," said Hollingsworth, who spent 23 years on active duty. Capturing the "times" as well as the "life" of its protagonist, it is a journey with a truly amazing and colorful man. At that moment by the power of the Son of God Casca is made immortal, cursed to wander the earth a soldier until the Second Coming. He then joined the American Army. In Finland, hopes were raised for the national hero's possible burial in his home country. The second H34 dropped through a hole in the clouds to insert a six-man surveillance team. Thank You for your stories. He escaped and was rearrested a time or two before evading into Sweden. He casually mentioned to my stepdad in his heavy Finnish accent, Lockie, I have killed more men with my bare hands than you have killed doves.. In twelve years of service, he attained the rank of Major. In US Marines Trni was known as Larry Thorne. Will Dabbs A native of the Mississippi Delta, Will is a mechanical engineer who flew UH1H, OH58A/C, CH47D, and AH1S aircraft as an Army Aviator. A few included a superb sound suppressor. I was aware of the ghostly stories of Major Thorne post MIA missions salting Charlies ammo depots, putting fear of budda in nva all up & down uncle hos trail but unaware of ss connection! Been a hectic week, so Im a few days late reading this one. During his Finnish service, Laurie Torni carried a Suomi KP/-31 9mm submachine gun. Military, In 1979 Barry Sadler published the first of a series of 53 historical fantasy books orbiting around Casca Rufio Longinus, the Roman legionary who purportedly pierced the side of Christ with the Holy Lance. Larry will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on 26 June 2003, reportedly scheduled for 0900 hours commencing at the ANC Administration Building. Men who served with him believe that Larry is still alive. According to POW Network, with his body never recovered, many believed he had survived the crash and continued to live in hiding or taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese. Using South Vietnamese Air Force helicopters, US Army successfully inserted Thornes group into a clearing inside Laos while Thorne remained in a chase helicopter to direct support as needed. The story begins with the Winter War, which began with the Soviet invasion of Finland in 1939, when Lauri Torni fought against attacking Red Army troops. Thorne wanted to be the best, had the talent and sisu to be the best, and in fact was the best. While operating in the Quang Nam Province some 25 miles from Da Nang the three aircraft encountered unexpectedly foul weather. After that, only silence was heard in response to repeated attempts to raise anyone aboard the Kingbee. Yep. Three missions had attempted to get to the crash site and failed, but Captain Larry Thorne grabbed his shit, parachuted in with a 12-man team, made his way up 14,000 feet of elevation deep in enemy territory, and somehow recovered the data and snuck out of there undetected. Larry Thorne, missing in action for decades, to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. In America, posthumous fame arrived when he was portrayed by Wayne in the 1968 film The Green Berets.. The Swedish K was an open-bolt full auto-only design of a fairly conventional layout. [emailprotected]writes: Gentlemen: Great News. Lauri completed his studies, excelling mainly in sports: skiing and boxing, among others. 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. And as his May 28 birthday approaches, one U.S. Army Security Assistance Command employee reflects on the life and legacy of one of the first and most renowned Green Berets in American history. Select this result to view Larry J Thorne's phone number, address, and more. According to Helsingin Sanomat, his injuries allowed him to return to the rear away from combat. And the legend has begun Minutes before Captain Thorne intended to cancel the mission and return to Kham Duc, the clouds opened up slightly allowing the two Kingbees carrying RT Iowa to spiral into the slash-and-burn clearing, rapidly discharge their passengers and immediately climb for altitude. He was a natural for the highly classified Military Assistance Command, Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group. He was a recipient of the Mannerheim Cross, Finland's highest award for gallantry in the field. Glad you were identified in 2002, Welcome Home. Funny, your articles are half the reason Im here. Larry Thorne, born August 5, 1956 to the late Jason C. Thorne and Lillian Cooper Thorne in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. 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. His remains were repatriated and formally identified in 2003. Menu. Because of this, he was very familiar with the entire area in which MACV-SOG's teams would be operating. Anyway watch fer snakes down there! If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I believe that is what he wanted to be and who he was. The book is well researched but written sometimes in a slightly clumsy way with lots of repeats of the same facts, there goes one star. U.S. Air Force Major Harley B. Pyles, pilot; and U.S. Marine Corps Captain Winfield W. Sisson, observer and Marine MACV-SOG air liaison officer; comprised the crew of an O1E Bird Dog, call sign Bird Dog 55, the number 2 aircraft in a flight of two that would coordinate all aircraft involved in inserting RT Iowa. He transferred to Samford University's Howard College, where . Dr. Dabbs this was an great article, I thought that I was the only Casca fan, I started reading them in the early 80s! Please keep them headed our way. Opening Hours Mon to Fri - 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Sat - 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM . On the sheath is casted silver Os Lauri Trni Perinnekilta ry (Larry Thorne heritage guild) logo and the end plate of the knife is silver with welded guild logo. 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