In
Memory of U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant
Josef Lloyd Thorne was born on November 17, 1940, to
Melvin and Mary Jane Thorne, in International Falls,
Minnesota. Josef had two sisters, Jeanne and Julie, and
three brothers, Tim, Tracy, and Roy. The family soon moved
to Brookings, South Dakota, and then later to Gettysburg and
then to Beresford, where Josef graduated from high school in
1958. He had many interests, some of which included horses
and church. He played trombone in a band and loved sports
during high school. His love for football continued during
his college years at South Dakota State University. Josef
worked in construction during breaks from school and helped
build Interstate 29. He graduated from SDSU with a degree in
civil engineering in 1963 and also was drafted to play
professional football. He was once called, “one of the
alltime great football stars in South Dakota’s history.”
Josef married his wife, Diane, on July 15, 1961, in Clear
Lake, South Dakota, and they had son, Travis.
When Josef graduated from South Dakota State University,
he had an Army commission as a second lieutenant and was
part of the Army Reserves Officers Training Corps. On
September 18, 1963, he was assigned to active duty with the
U.S. Army. He was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to receive
training. He went on to receive additional training to
become a pilot at Fort Watters, Texas, and Fort Rucker,
Alabama. Lieutenant Thorne was sent overseas to Vietnam in
November of 1964 for a one-year tour of duty. He was
stationed at Phan Thiet and served with the 145th Aviator
Airlift Platoon. Lt. Thorne was originally assigned to fly
mail but instead volunteered to fly assault helicopters. He
said he “wanted to be in the game.” He then served as
commander of a UH-1B helicopter. A few days after arriving
in Vietnam, he wrote a letter to his parents, saying:
Yesterday I flew four hours and
fifty-five minutes and today I flew five hours and fifty
minutes. We flew out at 01:03 both yesterday and today.
I’ll say one thing. It isn’t as bad over here as people
would believe. I’m going to be real careful and keep my
mind on what I’m doing and shouldn’t have any problems.
Lieutenant Thorne was given an assignment to fly a combat
mission in the region near Qui Nhon, Vietnam He was flying a
Huey helicopter near another plane when the enemy began to
fire on them from the ground. Both planes soon crashed, the
Huey helicopter exploded on the coastal plain when it hit
the ground. Nine men were killed in all, Lieutenant Josef
Thorne among them. He became the first South Dakotan to die
in the Vietnam War, just 41 days after the first combat
forces arrive in Vietnam. Family and friends say that they
believe Josef knew that he would not return from Vietnam.
His body was returned to the United States and his
funeral service was held at the Doner Auditorium at SDSU
with an attendance of over 800 people. He was buried with
military honors at Greenwood Cemetery in Brookings.
For his Vietnam service, Lt. Josef Thorne received many
medals and has the 21st place on the Vietnam Memorial in
Washington, DC. He is survived by his parents, Melvin Thorne
and Mary Jane Thorne, his sisters, Jeanne Weiland, and Julie
Larson, and his brothers, Tim, Tracy, and Roy, as well as
his widow, Diane and his son, Travis.
Because he was one of the earliest casualties of the
Vietnam War, Josef Thorne’s death really stood out. As
Senator McGovern stated for the Congressional Record: “He
was a hero to thousands of South Dakota schoolboys. His
death brings the war in Vietnam closer to the heart of every
South Dakota citizens.” Josef is also mentioned in two of
Tom Brokaw’s books ; he is also featured in several other
publications. And as was printed in a tribute to him, “He
was a special guy, with a competitive spirit that never
waned.” In fact, there is a memorial football scholarship in
his name at SDSU.
The Governor of the State of South Dakota at the time,
Nils Boe, said of Josef, “No one could have known Joe and
not have been better because of the acquaintance.”
Josef Thorne with his SDSU Coach, Ralph Ginn
This entry was respectfully submitted by April G.
Goodson, 10th Grade, Spearfish High School, Spearfish, South
Dakota, October 10, 2005. Information for this entry was
provided by Mary Jane Thorne and the Beresford Republic.
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Dedication Promotional Video
