Cross of Mannerheim, an Iron Cross, a Bronze Star, From various contemporary press reports: Though he enlisted as a private, his wartime skillset led him to become an instructor at the Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, teaching everything from survival to guerrilla tactics. Dr. Dabbs this was an great article, I thought that I was the only Casca fan, I started reading them in the early 80s! Larry Thorne knife Os Lauri Trni Perinnekilta ry logo was handcrafted with saw, file and pliers from silver. At 1800 hours, the Kingbee helicopters lifted off with Cowboy, piloting the lead SVAF Kingbee; and Mustachio piloting the #2 Kingbee. Thorne wanted to be the best, had the talent and sisu to be the best, and in fact was the best. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia. As Shultz tells it, In September 1944, Finland surrendered to the Soviet Union. In a message dated 6/6/03 4:02:23 PM Central Daylight Time, However, both the US and South Vietnamese military found them to be extremely effective throughout the war. At long last, his remains have been formally identified, and he will be laid to rest in the Arlington National Cemetery on June 26 of this year. Punctuality 5. The Army would regularly conduct war games that interacted with the civilian population. Trni's fate was finally confirmed, not by a DNA sample, but from his dental records. In the last stages of the war, he surrendered to the British and eventually returned to Finland after escaping a British POW camp, the account at War History Online reads. A traditional American military officer's burial is to be expected, with trumpets and salutes, says Trni's nephew Juha Rajala, who is also the Vice President of the Lauri Trni Tradition Guild in Finland. Death. Birth. After Finland's final defeat, he served with the Waffen SS and eventually received an Iron Cross. Larry Thorne and several of his Finnish ex-commanders where the very nucleus of the new Special Forces, Larry himself being the model for John Waynes character in the move "the Green Berets". So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Finnish operators were issued with a spare barrel to use when the first overheated. 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). There are two soldiers Id like to have had a morning coffee and a chat with, Larry Thorne and Desmond Doss. At 1810 hours, Major Nipper released the B-57s and began his own return flight to Kham Duc. Status in 1973: Killed/Body Not Recovered Comanche out!!!%. Thornes exploits in combat made him seem invincible among his Special Forces brothers. Larry Alan Thorne was born Lauri Allan Torni on May 28, 1919. When Sweden forbade further exports to the US in protest to the war in Vietnam the government tasked Smith and Wesson with contriving a replacement. 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 hit the ground running, travelling the globe 280 days out of the year on recovery missions. The three Vietnamese service members were eligible for burial at Arlington because their remains were commingled with those of an American serviceman, according to a spokeswoman for Arlington Cemetery. Staff 5. If Larry Thorne died in the loss of the Kingbee, he has a right to have his remains returned to his family, friends and country. Once Captain Thorne received a message from RT Iowa that their insertion was successful, he transmitted that his aircraft was also on its way back. 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. "I'm fortunate the Army sent me, or I have traveled as a tourist, to over 56 countries.". On October 18, 1965, Larry Thorne led the first MACV-SOG cross-border mission into Laos to prevent the North Vietnamese movement down the Ho Chi Minh trail. Lauri Torni hated the threat of communism so much that he was willing to join any army to fight it. Convinced that Communism represented an existential threat to the Finnish way of life, Torni traveled to Germany and trained in sabotage and unconventional warfare with the SS. May 9, 2011. (Source: Richard Hayse, SFODAs 9 and 7, 1976-1978) But first, he would take part in a daring rescue mission inside Iran. He left his home-country to fight for one that was not his native home, but for the men to the left and right of him.". In early 1945 he fell in with German units fighting the Soviets near Schwerin until he was captured by the British. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Born in 1919 in Viipuri Province in Finland, Lauri Torni fought the Soviets beginning with the battles around Lake Ladoga in December of 1939. Master Jeweler at Jensen Jewelers, Billings, Montana November 17, 2021 - Present Jeweler and Diamond setter for 41 years May 2, 2020 to present College Studied at Valley City State University High school No schools to show Photos See all photos Others Named Larry Thorne Lawrence Thorne Lorenzo Thorne Lawrence Franklin Thorne Lorenzo Thorne But then Germany fell, too, and the Finn-turned-Waffen SS officer was arrested by the British, according to War History Online. The best result we found for your search is Larry Thorne age 70s in Montgomery, AL. One day , when Larry was over for supper at my stepdads house, they served him pickled peaches for dessert. The second best result is Larry Edward Thorne age 60s in Auburn, AL. During his Finnish service, Laurie Torni carried a Suomi KP/-31 9mm submachine gun. 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. I thought that I was the only Casca fan! The third soldier, a machine-gunner, was recognised from his identification tag. They recovered several fragments of bones and a Swedish-made machine pistol that Thorne carried with him. Lauri Allan Trni (28 May 1919 - 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Alan Thorne, was a Finnish-American soldier who fought under three flags: as a Finnish Army Second Lieutenant of the Fourth Independent Jger Infantry Battalion against the Soviets in the Winter War and the Soviet-Finnish sub-theater of World War II known as the Continuation Yep. As the men of RT Iowa prepared their weapons and gear, Major Norton and Captain Thorne brought the SVAF Kingbee, US Army Huey and USAF Forward Air Controller (FAC) aircrews together in the operations shack to plan the team's insertion at dusk. He was 36 years old when he attended Airborne school. Larry Thorne, age 86 of Minor Hill passed away Saturday, December 30, 2017. Larry A. Thorne is the only American POW/MIA to fight communism under three flags those of Finland, Germany and America. He transferred to Samford University's Howard College, where . He later received a regular commission and was promoted to captain in 1960. These unconventional warfare warriors had to be able to master critical military skills needed to train and lead guerrilla warriors, to be inserted anywhere in the world by any means of transportaion, to survive the most hostile environment, and to take care of themselves and others under the pressures of harsh combat conditions and isolation. The remains were subsequently identified by the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii. At the time he went missing CPT Thorne was armed with a Swedish Carl Gustav m/45 submachine gun. The KP saw service all the way through the Israeli War for Independence and the Korean War. Call Us isola musebnd montering. Also on board were three South Vietnamese crew members: Lieutenant Bao Tung Nguyen, First Lieutenant The Long Phan and Sergeant Vam Lanh Bui. The second H34 dropped through a hole in the clouds to insert a six-man surveillance team. Glad you were identified in 2002, Welcome Home. Lane David Michael. Leonard E. " Larry " Thorne 08/17/1938 - 04/08/2014 Age 75 Of St. Paul, MN Passed away on April 8, 2014. He served in the United States Army, 5th Special Forces. He supported himself working as a carpenter and cleaner. But is is very . P. D. Lochridge Brigadier General, United States Army, Remains Found 1999 Identified 2003, Buried Arlington June 26, 2003, (Viipuru, Finland military records correct spelling is Viipuri), Loss Coordinates: 152558N 1074744E (YC895105), Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered, VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 10/18/1955 10/18/1965, BURIED AT: SECTION 60 SITE 8136 Arlington National Cemetery. That's because his real name was Lauri Trni, and he had been fighting the Soviets for much of his adult life. The teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and interdiction that were called, depending on the location and time frame, Shining Brass Daniel Boone, Salem House or Prairie Fire missions. "The message to our troops is: we will bring you home. After World War II, Lauri Torni made his way to the United States where he enlisted in the U.S. Army under the Lodge Bill. Lauri Allan Trni! Hollingsworth called Thorne a true patriot and said it was one of his deepest honors to serve on Joint Task Force Full Accounting - congressionally mandated to achieve the fullest possible accounting of U.S. troops who didn't from the war in Southwest Asia. "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. In June of 1998, the book THE SOLDIER UNDER THREE FLAGS was made available by Pathfinder publishing. His remains were never found. Soon promoted, well deserved "Men like Larry are called to serve others," said Hollingsworth, "but not all volunteer for the types of training and assignments Larry did. . 1. Starting in his homeland Finland, doing some time in Nazi-Germany SS Division, and finally got killed in Laos as a US Army Special Forces member. Lauri Allan Trni (28 May 1919 - 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Thorne, was a Finnish Army captain who led an infantry company against the Soviet Uni. This weapon was formally designated the Kulsprutepistol m/45. While assigned to Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam; Captain Thorne was instrumental in establishing the standard operating procedures employed by the fledgling Studies and Observation Group, better known by its acronym MACV-SOG. 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