Larry Thorne enlisted in the Army as a private in 1954, but he wasn’t your everyday new trainee – he had already spent a majority of his adult life fighting against the Soviets in brutal winter conditions.
Born in Finland in 1919, Törni enlisted at age 19 in his country’s army and fought against the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939-40, rising to the rank of Captain and leading ski troops who literally skied into battle against enemy forces.
In 1944 during what the Finns called The Continuation War, he received Finland’s version of the Medal of Honor — the Mannerheim Cross — for his bravery while leading a light infantry battalion.
After Finland signed a cease-fire in 1944, he joined the German Army so that he could continue fighting. After Germany’s defeat, Törni returned to Finland and later moved to the United States where he enlisted under the name Larry Thorne.
He was able to enlist because of the Lodge-Philbin Act passed, which allowed foreigners to join the U.S. military and allowed them citizenship if they served honorably for at least five years.
More than 200 eastern Europeans joined the Army Special Forces before the Act expired in 1959, including Larry Thorne. Thorne quickly distinguished himself among his peers of Green Berets. Though he enlisted as a private, his wartime skill-set led him to become an instructor at the Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg teaching everything from survival to guerrilla tactics. In 1957, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and would rise to the rank of captain.
In Vietnam, he earned the Bronze Star medal for heroism, along with five Purple Hearts for combat wounds, before being killed in a helicopter crash in 1965.
Thorne Plaza is directly in front of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) Headquarters here on Fort Carson and is a common site for promotions, retirements, and other ceremonies.
Source – 10th SFG(A)
His enlistment home of record was Norwalk, CT, where I grew up. That and the little I knew of his story at the time got me more interested. I had a steel version of his MIA bracelet made and I proudly wore it until I returned from Iraq and learned his remains were identified in 2003. Interestingly, when I had the bracelet made, I had to insist on having LAOS listed as where he was lost as his records still carry the fiction he was lost in SVN. Sadly, his identification coincided with the need to wear a KIA bracelet honoring a buddy and I retired Larry’s bracelet in 2005.
Truly an incredible man and an inspiration. Highly recommend “Soldier Under Three Flags” and the more definitive account “Born A Soldier” by J. Michael Cleverly.
He did not join the German Army.
10th Group wrote this. I’m waiting for them to be canceled over it.
I do not know what your comment means but the info is incorrect.
He served in the SS, not the Wehrmacht.
It means that 10th Group can’t quite tell the truth in the current political climate.
Just ignore the troll… He watched a YouTube simple history video and now trying to show how smart he thinks he is..
He’s not wrong. Thorne was part of the Finnish Volunteer battalion of the Waffen SS.
Now I’m pretty sure the article meant “all ground forces of Germany during WW2” and not literally “the Wehrmacht”.
https://youtu.be/yv04zcD7hlo. He is teaching at his former school Bad Tölz
The book explain the whats and whys of his various forms of service in detail. With less attention to PC considerations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClJiGI6q52w