When the US Navy put together a highly-classified operation to rescue American prisoners of war off the coast of North Vietnam in 1972, it was a natural choice to have Lieutenant Melvin Spencer Dry lead the Navy SEAL team.Dry was a fearless and respected leader who immediately jumped at the chance to save his fellow countrymen, but ultimately lost his life while doing so.Operation Thunderhead called for the two prisoners to sail away from Hanoi in a stolen craft, then meet four men on an island in the Red River who would get there after being launched from USS Grayback.However, the mission failed miserably, and for over three decades the real causes were kept a secret.