He was a posthumous recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor—the Medal of Honor—for his heroic actions above and beyond the call of duty during the war.
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.
Private First Class Thorson's official Medal of Honor citation reads: He was an automatic rifleman on 28 October 1944, in the attack on Dagami Leyte, Philippine Islands.
A heavily fortified enemy position consisting of pillboxes and supporting trenches held up the advance of his company.
He was instantly killed, but his magnificent courage and supreme self-sacrifice prevented the injury and possible death of his comrades, and remain with them as a lasting inspiration.The United States Army ship USAT Private John F. Thorson which served in the Pacific Ocean at the end of World War II was named in his honor.