SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper by Howard E. Wasdin, Stephen Templin Page B
Authors: Howard E. Wasdin, Stephen Templin
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team rode a South Vietnamese Navy junk (U.S. Navy ships were unavailable) up the South China Sea, launched a rubber boat from the junk, then patrolled on land to gather intelligence. Norris walked the point with Thornton on rear security and the Vietnamese SEALs between them. The junk had inserted them too far north, and during their patrol, they realized they were in North Vietnam. While hiding in their day layup position, the Vietnamese SEAL officer, without consulting Norris or Thornton, ordered the two Vietnamese SEALs to do a poorly planned prisoner snatch on a two-man patrol. The Vietnamese SEALs wrestled with the two enemy.
Thornton rushed in and knocked out one of the enemy with his rifle butt, so he couldn’t alert the nearby village. The other enemy escaped and alerted about sixty North Vietnamese Army troops. Thornton said, “We’ve got trouble.” The SEALs bound the knocked-out enemy, then had Dang interrogate him when he became conscious.
Norris and Dang fired at the approaching enemy. Between shots, Norris used the radio on Dang’s back to call for naval gunfire support: coordinates, positions, types of rounds needed, etc. The navy operator on the other end (his ship under enemy fire in a separate battle) seemed new at his job, unfamiliar with fire support for ground troops. Norris put down the phone to shoot more enemy. When he got back on the radio, his call had been transferred to another ship, which was also under enemy fire—and unable to help. Norris and Dang moved back while firing at the enemy.
Thornton put the Vietnamese lieutenant in the rear while he and Quon defended the flanks. Thornton shot several NVA, took cover, rose in a different position, and shot more. Although Thornton knew the enemy popped up from the same spot each time, they didn’t know where Thornton would pop up from or how many people were with him. While maneuvering back, Thornton shot through the sand dune where the enemy heads had ducked, taking them out.
After about five hours of fighting, Norris connected with a ship that could help: the Newport News.
The enemy threw a Chinese Communist grenade at Thornton. Thornton threw it back. The enemy threw the same grenade back. Thornton returned it. When the grenade came back the next time, Thornton dove for cover. The grenade exploded. Six pieces of shrapnel struck Thornton’s back. He heard Norris call to him, “Mike, buddy, Mike, buddy!” Thornton played dead. Four enemy soldiers ran over Thornton’s position. He shot all four—two fell on top of him, and the other two fell backward. “I’m all right!” Thornton called. “It’s just shrapnel!”
The enemy became quiet. Now they had the 283rd NVA battalion helping them outflank the SEALs.
The SEALs began to leapfrog. Norris laid down cover fire so Thornton, Quon, and Tai could retreat. Then Thornton and his team would do the same while Norris and Dang moved back. Norris had just brought up a Light Antitank Weapon (LAW) to shoot when an NVA’s AK-47 shot him in the face, knocking Norris off a sand dune. Norris tried to get up to return fire but passed out.
Dang ran back to Thornton. Two rounds hit the radio Dang carried on his back.
“Where’s Tommy?” Thornton asked.
“He dead.”
“You sure?”
“He shot in head.”
“Are you sure?”
“See him fall.”
“Stay here. I’m going back for Tommy.”
“No, Mike. He dead. NVA coming.”
“Y’all stay here.” Thornton ran 500 yards to Norris’s position through a hail of enemy fire. Several NVA neared Norris’s body. Thornton gunned them down. When he reached Norris, he saw that the bullet had entered the side of Norris’s head and blown out the front of his forehead. He was dead. Thornton threw the body on his shoulders in a fireman’s carry and grabbed Norris’s AK. Thornton had already used up eight grenades and his LAW rockets and was down to one or two magazines of ammo. It looked like the end for him, too.
Suddenly, the first round
Thornton rushed in and knocked out one of the enemy with his rifle butt, so he couldn’t alert the nearby village. The other enemy escaped and alerted about sixty North Vietnamese Army troops. Thornton said, “We’ve got trouble.” The SEALs bound the knocked-out enemy, then had Dang interrogate him when he became conscious.
Norris and Dang fired at the approaching enemy. Between shots, Norris used the radio on Dang’s back to call for naval gunfire support: coordinates, positions, types of rounds needed, etc. The navy operator on the other end (his ship under enemy fire in a separate battle) seemed new at his job, unfamiliar with fire support for ground troops. Norris put down the phone to shoot more enemy. When he got back on the radio, his call had been transferred to another ship, which was also under enemy fire—and unable to help. Norris and Dang moved back while firing at the enemy.
Thornton put the Vietnamese lieutenant in the rear while he and Quon defended the flanks. Thornton shot several NVA, took cover, rose in a different position, and shot more. Although Thornton knew the enemy popped up from the same spot each time, they didn’t know where Thornton would pop up from or how many people were with him. While maneuvering back, Thornton shot through the sand dune where the enemy heads had ducked, taking them out.
After about five hours of fighting, Norris connected with a ship that could help: the Newport News.
The enemy threw a Chinese Communist grenade at Thornton. Thornton threw it back. The enemy threw the same grenade back. Thornton returned it. When the grenade came back the next time, Thornton dove for cover. The grenade exploded. Six pieces of shrapnel struck Thornton’s back. He heard Norris call to him, “Mike, buddy, Mike, buddy!” Thornton played dead. Four enemy soldiers ran over Thornton’s position. He shot all four—two fell on top of him, and the other two fell backward. “I’m all right!” Thornton called. “It’s just shrapnel!”
The enemy became quiet. Now they had the 283rd NVA battalion helping them outflank the SEALs.
The SEALs began to leapfrog. Norris laid down cover fire so Thornton, Quon, and Tai could retreat. Then Thornton and his team would do the same while Norris and Dang moved back. Norris had just brought up a Light Antitank Weapon (LAW) to shoot when an NVA’s AK-47 shot him in the face, knocking Norris off a sand dune. Norris tried to get up to return fire but passed out.
Dang ran back to Thornton. Two rounds hit the radio Dang carried on his back.
“Where’s Tommy?” Thornton asked.
“He dead.”
“You sure?”
“He shot in head.”
“Are you sure?”
“See him fall.”
“Stay here. I’m going back for Tommy.”
“No, Mike. He dead. NVA coming.”
“Y’all stay here.” Thornton ran 500 yards to Norris’s position through a hail of enemy fire. Several NVA neared Norris’s body. Thornton gunned them down. When he reached Norris, he saw that the bullet had entered the side of Norris’s head and blown out the front of his forehead. He was dead. Thornton threw the body on his shoulders in a fireman’s carry and grabbed Norris’s AK. Thornton had already used up eight grenades and his LAW rockets and was down to one or two magazines of ammo. It looked like the end for him, too.
Suddenly, the first round
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