Loren H. Torkelson

By zthanson, 9 December, 2022
First Name
Loren
Middle Name
H.
Last Name
Torkelson
Birthdate
Hometown
Minot, North Dakota
Rank
Lieutenant Colonel
Service Branch
Air Force
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
Man in a decorated U.S. Air Force uniform.
PreCapture Description

Loren Torkelson enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve on March 3, 1961, and transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve on September 27, 1962. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force through the Air Force ROTC Program at the University of North Dakota on August 10, 1963, and went on active duty beginning November 23, 1963. Lieutenant Torkelson next completed Undergraduate Pilot Training, earning his pilot wings at Laughlin AFB, Texas, in October 1964, followed by F-4 Phantom II Combat Crew Training and Pilot Systems Operator Training from November 1964 to April 1965. His first assignment was as an F-4 pilot with the 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, from April 1965 to April 1966, and then deployed with the 389th to Phan Rang AB and then DaNang AB, South Vietnam, from April 1966 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War on April 29, 1967.

Post Release Image
Officer walking to a woman with her hands out for an embrace on a tarmac.
Post Release Description

Captain Torkelson was released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries at Travis AFB, California, and then completed pilot requalification training in December 1973, and F-4 Combat Crew Training in May 1974. Major Torkelson then served as an F-4 pilot and instructor pilot with the 311th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron of the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona, from May 1974 to August 1976, followed by an Air Force Institute of Technology assignment to attend the University of North Dakota School of Law from August 1976 to May 1979. Lieutenant Colonel Torkelson completed the Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course in September 1979, and then served as an Air Force JAG Officer and Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for the Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center and with the 554th Combat Support Group at Nellis AFB, Nevada, from September 1979 until his retirement from the Air Force on October 1, 1984. Loren Torkelson died on September 15, 1995, and was buried at the Concordia Cemetery in Crosby, North Dakota.

Honors, Citations, and Commendations
  • Silver Star (2)
  • Legion of Merit
  • Distinguished Flying Cross (3)
  • Bronze Star
  • Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release