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TO REQUEST THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES NAME ITS FACILITY LOCATED AT 122 EDGEWORTH STREET IN THE CITY OF GREENVILLE IN GREENVILLE COUNTY IN HONOR OF CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT LIEUTENANT MICHAEL EDWARD THORNTON, UNITED STATES NAVY.
Whereas, Lieutenant Michael Thornton was born on March 23, 1949, in Greenville, South Carolina; and
Whereas, a committed serviceman, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1967 after graduating from high school at the age of 18; and
Whereas, upon successful completion of BUD/S training, he was assigned to SEAL Team ONE and served several tours in Vietnam and Thailand between October 1968 and January 1973; and
Whereas, Petty Officer Thornton, as Assistant United States Navy Advisor, along with a United States Navy Lieutenant serving as Senior Advisor, accompanied a three-man Vietnamese Navy SEAL patrol on an intelligence gathering and prisoner capture operation against an enemy-occupied naval river base; and
Whereas, his patrol called in naval gunfire support against the river base and then engaged the enemy in a fierce firefight, accounting for many enemy casualties before moving back to the waterline to prevent encirclement; and
Whereas, upon learning that the Senior Navy Advisor had been hit by enemy fire and believed to be dead, Petty Officer Thornton returned through a hail of fire to the lieutenant's last position, quickly disposed of two enemy soldiers about to overrun the position, and succeeded in removing the seriously wounded and unconscious Senior Navy Advisor to the water's edge; and
Whereas, he then inflated the lieutenant's lifejacket and towed him and a wounded South Vietnamese seaward for approximately two hours until they were picked up by a support craft; and
Whereas, President Richard M. Nixon awarded Petty Officer Thornton the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while participating in a daring operation against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam in October 1972; and
Whereas, in honor of his selfless bravery and service to his country, it would be fitting and proper to bestow special recognition upon Lieutenant Michael Edward Thornton, United States Navy, by having the Department of Motor Vehicles name a facility in his honor. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly request the Department of Motor Vehicles name its facility located at 122 Edgeworth Street in the City of Greenville in Greenville County in honor of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Lieutenant Michael Edward Thornton, United States Navy.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
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