

Rank and
organization:
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy,
SEAL Advisor, Strategic Technical Directorate Assistance Team, Headquarters,
U.S. Military Assistance Command. Place and date: Quang Tri
Province,
Republic of
Vietnam, 10 to 13 April 1972. Entered service at:
Silver Spring,
Md. Born: 14 January 1944, Jacksonville,
Fla. Citation: Lt.
Norris completed an unprecedented ground rescue of 2 downed pilots deep
within heavily controlled enemy territory in Quang Tri
Province. Lt. Norris, on the night of 10 April, led a
5-man patrol through 2,000 meters of heavily controlled enemy territory,
located 1 of the downed pilots at daybreak, and returned to the Forward
Operating Base (FOB). On 11 April, after
a devastating mortar and rocket attack on the small FOB, Lt. Norris led a 3-man
team on 2 unsuccessful rescue attempts for the second pilot. On the afternoon of the 12th, a forward air
controller located the pilot and notified Lt. Norris. Dressed in fishermen disguises and using a
sampan, Lt. Norris and 1 Vietnamese traveled throughout that night and found
the injured pilot at dawn. Covering the
pilot with bamboo and vegetation, they began the return journey, successfully
evading a North Vietnamese patrol.
Approaching the FOB, they came under heavy machine-gun fire. Lt. Norris called in an air strike which
provided suppression fire and a smokescreen, allowing the rescue party to reach
the FOB. By his outstanding display of
decisive leadership, undaunted courage, and selfless dedication in the face of
extreme danger, Lt. Norris enhanced the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval
Service.