Career
Thorson was the seventh of eight children born to Norwegian immigrants. He joined the Army from his birth city of Armstrong, Iowa in 1942, and by October 28, 1944 was serving as a private first class in Company G, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On that day, in Dagami, Leyte province, in the Philippines, Thorson was wounded while single-handedly attacking an enemy trench, then smothered the blast of an enemy-thrown hand grenade with his body.
He successfully protected his fellow soldiers from the blast, and was immediately killed.
Thorson, aged 24 at his death, was buried in Keokuk National Cemetery, Keokuk, Iowa. The United States Army ship USAT Private Thorson which served in the Pacific Ocean at the end of World World War II was named in his honor.
