Ken Harbaugh tells the stories of service members who have distinguished themselves through an act of valor. These stories feature recipients from the Civil War to present day, including a few who were originally overlooked for the medal.
In April of 1972, Lieutenant Thomas Norris was tasked to lead a mission in Vietnam to rescue Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Gene Hambleton. Hambleton had been shot down in enemy territory, and was surrounded by 30,000 enemy NVA soldiers.
Rescuing Hambleton was a top priority for the U.S.. As the navigator of a light bomber (with the call sign Bat 21 Bravo), he was an expert in surface-to-air missile countermeasures and was privy to top secret strategic air command operations, so if he was captured and turned over to the Russians, it could result in “irreparable damage to American National Defense”.
Norris’ team was also tasked with rescuing 1st Lieutenant Mark Clark, an aviator who had been shot down while trying to rescue Hambleton.
On the night of April 10th, 1972, Norris’ team successfully evaded multiple patrols, located Clark, and brought him to safety.
After two more days of unsuccessful attempts to find Hambleton, many were ready to give up the search. Norris and a South Vietnamese soldier named Petty Officer Nyguen Van Kiet decided to give it one more shot.
Again they successfully maneuvered around multiple enemy patrols, and located Hambleton, who was suffering from hunger and exhaustion. On their way back, they encountered two enemy positions, and came under machine gun fire once. Both times they radioed for assistance, and allied airstrikes took out the danger. All three made it back alive.
On March 6th, 1976, Lieutenant Thomas Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor for his part in the rescue. Even after many had tried and failed, Norris showed selfless dedication in the face of extreme danger, resulting in the safe return of 1st Lieutenant Mark Clark and Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Gene Hambleton.
If you’d like to hear Lieutenant Hambleton tell the story from his perspective, listen to his interview on Warriors In Their Own Words.
If you’d like to hear about how Norris was almost killed in a patrol that earned his teammate the Medal of Honor, listen to our episode about Lieutant Michael Thornton.
Welcome to the Medal of Honor podcast, brought to you in partnership with the National Medal of Honor Museum. I’m Ken Harbaugh. In each episode, we’ll learn about a different service member who has distinguished him or herself through an act of valor.
Thomas Norris was born on January 14th, 1944 in Jacksonville Florida. He moved with his family to Wisconsin and Washington D.C. before finishing high school. Norris then attended the University of Maryland, graduating with a degree in Sociology in hopes of pursuing a career in criminology with the FBI. When his student deferment from the draft was not extended, Norris enlisted in the Navy. He hoped to fly airplanes, but issues with his depth perception curtailed that dream. He wound up transferring to Naval Special Warfare, and became a Navy SEAL.
On April 2nd, 1972, Lieutenant Colonel Iceal “Gene” Hambleton was shot down in enemy territory in Vietnam. Rescuing Hambleton was a top priority for the U.S.. Hambleton, who was 53 at the time, was the navigator of a light bomber with the call sign Bat 21 Bravo. He was an expert in surface-to-air missile countermeasures and was privy to top secret strategic air command operations, so if he was captured and turned over to the Russians, it could result in “irreparable damage to American National Defense”.
Despite being surrounded by 30,000 NVA troops, the Army and Air Force launched multiple air rescue missions. In the process, 5 aircraft were destroyed, 11 airmen were killed, and two airmen were captured. After a week without success, they decided a ground rescue was their only other option.
Then 28 year old Lieutenant Norris was tasked with leading that mission, during what was his second tour in Vietnam. In addition to Hambleton, Norris was also tasked with rescuing 1st. Lieutenant Mark Clark, a pilot who had been shot down during the previous rescue efforts.
On the night of April 10th, 1972, Norris and his team of 5 Vietnamese soldiers began their operation. They silently patrolled up a river, where they were told they’d find Clark. Despite coming across multiple enemy positions, they managed to maneuver past all of them without detection. The team eventually found a position where they could wait for Clark, who they knew would be floating down towards them. At about 2am, Norris heard heavy breathing coming from the river. He spotted Clark in the water, but at the same time an NVA patrol arrived at their exact location. Norris was afraid that the NVA would be able to hear Clark, but he was unable to warn his ally without risking the whole operation. Norris and his team watched helplessly as Clark continued to float down the river. Miraculously, the enemy patrol moved through their position without spotting the team, or Clark. They had avoided danger, but Clark was still floating away. In order to match Clark’s pace and find his ally, Norris went into the river himself. He quietly floated downstream, searching for two hours before finally finding Clark hiding near a sunken sampan. From there, they successfully retreated out of the area and reached their base safely.
The next two nights they continued the search for Hambleton with no success. In hopes of flushing the enemy out of the area, the Air Force executed airstrikes around Hambleton’s location, but these weren’t entirely effective. Enemy presence often kept Hambleton from making scheduled radio calls, and when he did make them, he wasn’t able to talk. He also wasn’t able to reach the survival pack that was dropped for him. Hambleton’s allies had seemingly lost all hope, but Norris needed to give it one more shot. Knowing there wasn’t a high likelihood they’d return, Norris and one Vietnamese Soldier named Petty Officer Nguyen Van Kiet set off to rescue Hambleton.
The two men silently patrolled through enemy units until they found a seaworthy sampan in a village. They used the boat to travel upriver towards a meeting location. On their journey they passed multiple enemy positions, some manned by sleeping guards, but they avoided detection.
Norris and Kiet banked their sampan once they reached their destination, and began the search. Miraculously, they found Hambleton almost immediately. He was suffering from extreme hunger and exhaustion, so Norris and Kiet put him in the back of the Sampan and covered him with vegetation before heading back down the river. Along the way they encountered two enemy positions, and came under machine gun fire once. Both times they radioed for assistance, and allied airstrikes took out the danger. The journey back was less than two miles long, but it ended up taking them six hours to complete it. All three made it back alive.
This mission would become known as the Rescue of Bat 21. It was the longest, largest, and most complex rescue operation during the entire Vietnam War.
Six months after the operation, Norris was severely wounded on another SEAL stealth mission. He barely survived and lost his left eye in the process. His teammate, Lieutenant Michael Thornton, was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during that patrol.
On March 6th, 1976, Lieutenant Thomas Norris was awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in the rescue of Bat 21. Even after many had tried and failed, Norris showed selfless dedication in the face of extreme danger, resulting in the safe return of 1st Lieutenant Mark Clark and Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton.
Petty Officer Nyguen Van Kiet was also recognized for the role he played in Hambleton’s rescue. He was awarded the Navy Cross, and to this day, he’s the only Vietnamese Soldier to have received one.
Thanks for listening to The Medal of Honor Podcast. If you’d like to hear Lieutenant Hambleton tell the story of his rescue from his perspective, listen to his interview on Warriors in Their Own Words. If you’d like to hear about how Norris was almost killed in a patrol that earned his teammate the Medal of Honor, listen to our episode about Lieutenant Michael Thornton. The links are in the show description.
The Medal of Honor podcast is a production of Evergreen Podcasts.
Nathan Corson is our executive producer and mixing engineer, Declan Rohrs is our associate producer, scriptwriter, and recording engineer, and I’m Ken Harbaugh.
We are proud to support the National Medal of Honor Museum. To learn more, and to support their mission, go to mohmuseum.org. Thanks for listening.
