Medal of Honor recipient ‘Mighty Thor’ spoke to packed house at The Pritzker

By Chris Carter

Petty Officer Michael E. Thornton, a Navy Seal, spoke at The Pritzker Military Library about actions that led to his receiving the Medal of Honor. [Photo by Chris N. Seger; used with permission of Mishalov.com]**A reader named Dennis says the uniform looks like the rank is lieutenant. We used the rank from the citation and it was listed as Petty Officer. We thank our reader for his comments.Ask someone what their idea of a hero is and the answer could be anything from athletes to politicians. Last week, however, I had the honor of meeting a real hero at a reception and interview with Medal of Honor recipient Michael Thornton at Chicago's Pritzker Military Library. Thornton's actions in October, 1972 marked the last time a recipient of the medal would survive his or her exploits; all actions since have been awarded posthumously.

Thornton told his story to the standing-room-only crowd at the library, and he answered several questions from the audience before signing autographs.

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Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Millett, hero of Battle of Bayonet Hill, passes

by Chris Carter
Capt. Louis L. Millett, 88, Medal of Honor recipient, passed away Nov. 14 in Loma Linda, Calif.[Photo from Crushing Chris}
In 1940, Lewis L. "Red" Millett, a 17 year old native of Mechanic Falls, Maine, dropped out of high school and joined the Army Air Corps in order to fight the increasing fascist threat in Europe. But when President Roosevelt stated that the U.S. would not be entering the war, Millett decided to pack his bags and head to Canada - not to avoid combat, but to seek it out as part of the Canadian army. He was sent to London where he served as an anti-aircraft gunner during the Nazi's "Blitz" bombing campaign.

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