FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Clyde E Lassen ~ 25 September 2023

The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

Clyde E. Lassen

Info from here.

           

CDR Clyde Everett Lassen

(1942 - 1994)

As the UH-2 Seasprite helicopter hovered over the water, its crew listened intently on their earphones for a message from the coastline.  Somewhere beyond the pitch-dark horizon were two naval aviators whose plane had been shot down deep in North Vietnamese territory.  Their exact position was not known.  No one knew even if they were still alive.  They had not yet made contact with any other rescue aircraft in the area.  There was nothing the helicopter crew could do but wait and listen as they had done since leaving their ship shortly after midnight some time earlier.

Flying the single-engine UH-2 was 27 year old Lieutenant (then LTJG) Clyde E. Lassen, Officer in charge of the helo detachment aboard the guided missile frigate USS Preble (DLG 15).  To his right sat Lieutenant (jg) Clarence L. Cook, his copilot, and behind them, his two crewmen, Aviation Electrician s Mate 2^nd Class Bruce B. Dallas, and Aviation Machinist s Mate 3^rd Class Donald N. West. 

They waited.  Seconds became minutes.  Finally, voice communication was established.  The downed aviators reported they were sitting on the side of a steep, heavily wooded hill surrounded by tall trees, thick undergrowth, and an undetermined number of enemy troops.  Conditions clearly called for a helicopter, and fast.

By the time the message was completed, LTJG Cook had located the hillside position on his plotting map.  He then gave LT Lassen the course to follow and, while the pilot pressed the UH-2 over the coast into the enemy land, kept him informed on the layout of the countryside below.

The overcast sky made the terrain shadowless.  Ground objects were almost indistinguishable when the copter arrived in the search area.  At first there were no signs of the survivors.  But, after circling in darkness a few times, the SAR crew sighted the flash of flare pistols and the beam from a rescue strobe light.

Lieutenant Lassen swung the helo toward the illumination and moved in to survey a probable landing site.  A likely spot, he judged, was a rice paddy at the bottom of the hill, about 200 feet from the downed airmen.  He could hover over the clearing long enough for them to make it to the helo, despite the enemy.  That was his plan. And it might have worked and the whole ordeal would probably have been over in a matter of seconds.  But what looked like a quick and simple rescue turned out instead to be a real cliff-hanger.  One worthy of an entry in the Medal of Honor ledger.

After directing the aviators to make their way down the hill to the rice paddy, the lieutenant commenced a partial hover just high enough to keep his helo from sinking in the mud.  This drew the enemy s attention and they started pouring in small arms and automatic weapons fire.  Petty Officers Dallas and West sighted on the muzzle blasts and returned the fire with the airship s two door-mounted M-60 machine guns.

Meanwhile, the downed aviators reported over their rescue transmitters that they were unable to make it through the undergrowth.  LT Lassen decided to pull up out of gun range to evaluate the situation a little further and study another approach.

Like most helo pilots in the combat zone, he was relying on limited experience.  He had been flying only a little more than two years.  Nonetheless, he was no newcomer to naval aviation.  Before he earned his wings through the Naval Aviation Cadet program, he served with the fleet for almost three years, attaining the rate of aviation electronics technician 3^rd class.  He had met each challenge with success.  Now he was about to make another decision from which there could be no return.

The LT called for a rescue aircraft nearby to move into the area and illuminate the survivors location with flares.  Then he worked the UH-2 farther up the hill toward the airmen and located a probable landing spot between two large trees.  There, Dallas and West lowered a rescue hoist, which the airmen could reach.  Just as rescue appeared a sure thing, the last of the overhead flares went out.  Depth perception was lost momentarily and the helo veered slightly to the right.  One of the crewmen yelled that they were going to hit one of the trees.

A sharp jolt went through the helo and it pitched nose down into a right turn.  Instinctively, LT Lassen righted the aircraft and climbed clear of the foliage.  No one was hurt, but the UH-2 had suffered serious damage.  It was vibrating almost uncontrollably.  Things couldn t be much worse.  His fuel was dangerously low.  His aircraft was badly damaged.  And, he was drawing fire from every enemy gun within range.  On top of this, he and the other rescue aircraft had run out of overhead flares.  They were strictly in the dark.  A further rescue attempt seemed hopeless.

But as far as LT Lassen was concerned, he hadn t completed his mission, and he was determined to do so, successfully.  Again he sized up the situation, called for more flares and, for the second time, told the downed aviators to descend the hill and meet him at the rice paddy.  As skipper, he was confident Dallas and West could suppress the enemy gunners with their M-60 s until the flares arrived.  But he had no desire to go another round in the dark with those skyscraping trees.  He had enough of them.

Following the pilot s instructions, the two men on the ground attempted once more to work their way through the underbrush toward their rescuers appointed position.  The delay, thus far, had allowed more enemy to arrive on the hill.  The helo, in order to cover the aviators descent, had to stay close by.

This need for close-quarter maneuvering made it nearly impossible for support from the other air rescue units to be effective against the communist force.  As things stood, the airmen s safety rested primarily on the accuracy of LT Lassen s gunners and his ability to fly his crippled aircraft, both talents which had proven unequalled.

Before long, the additional flares arrived and the sky was again lighted, aiding the lieutenant s second approach to the paddy.

The enemy kept the airmen pinned down at the spot where LT Lassen could not reach. This complicated matters even more, because time suddenly became a crucial concern.

 Only 30 minutes of fuel remained in the helo s tanks, and both he and LTJG Cook were aware of the distance through enemy territory that lay between them and friendly hands.  There might be enough time for one more attempt.  No more.

The Lieutenant called for another flare drop and commenced his final rescue attempt.  For a moment the sky was bright like high noon.  But, just when the helo reached an altitude of about 50 feet over the rice paddy, the flare went out.  There was nothing but darkness.  Luck, never of the best in this episode, had seemed to run out.

With no time to wait for another flare drop, the young pilot went for broke and turned on his landing lights so he could see to set down.  This withdrew the enemy s concentration on the two airmen, who unhesitatingly cleared the brush and dashed toward the lights.

In a hail of lead, the copter crew pulled the two-some on board as the pilot lifted his vibrating, bullet-riddled chopper into the darkness, out of harm s way.  A thimble of fuel was in the helo s tanks as the SAR crew headed toward the sea.

En route, LT Lassen s evasive ability was again put to the test when he had to outmaneuver a last effort by the enemy to knock him out of the sky with antiaircraft fire.

By the time he reached the water and set down on the helo pad of the guided missile frigate USS Jouett (DLG 29), there was scarcely more than five minutes flight time remaining in the helicopter s fuel lines.

The account of the rescue was logged as a successful, routine SAR mission.  But at NAS Atsugi, home base for Helicopter Combat Squadron Seven, the rescue flight of 19 June 1968 will be acclaimed as one of the most daring feats of flying to come out of the Vietnam Conflict.

LT Clyde E. Lassen became the first naval aviator and fifth Navyman to be awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in Vietnam.

His copilot, LTJG Cook, was awarded the Navy Cross for his gallant part played in the rescue.  The two crewmen, Petty Officers West and Dallas, were awarded Silver Stars

(The previous section was written by - Marc Whetstone, Chief Journalist, USN.)  

President Lyndon Johnson awarded Congressional Medals of Honor to the following servicemen on January 16, 1969. From Left to Right: Navy Lt. Clyde E. Lassen, Ft. Myers, Florida; Marine Maj. Stephen W. Pless, Newnan, Georgia; Air Force Lt. Col. Joe M. Jackson, Newnan, Georgia; Army S/Sgt. Drew D. Dix, Pueblo, Colorado

Citation:  

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as pilot and aircraft commander of a search and rescue helicopter, attached to Helicopter Support Squadron 7, during operations against enemy forces in North Vietnam. Launched shortly after midnight to attempt the rescue of 2 downed aviators. Lt. (then Lt.(jg.)) Lassen skillfully piloted his aircraft over unknown and hostile terrain to a steep, tree-covered hill on which the survivors had been located. Although enemy fire was being directed at the helicopter, he initially landed in a clear area near the base of the hill, but, due to the dense undergrowth, the survivors could not reach the helicopter. With the aid of flare illumination, Lt. Lassen successfully accomplished a hover between 2 trees at the survivors' position. Illumination was abruptly lost as the last of the flares were expended, and the helicopter collided with a tree, commencing a sharp descent. Expertly righting his aircraft and maneuvering clear, Lt. Lassen remained in the area, determined to make another rescue attempt, and encouraged the downed aviators while awaiting resumption of flare illumination. After another unsuccessful, illuminated rescue attempt. and with his fuel dangerously low and his aircraft significantly damaged, he launched again and commenced another approach in the face of the continuing enemy opposition. When flare illumination was again lost, Lt. Lassen, fully aware of the dangers in clearly revealing his position to the enemy, turned on his landing lights and completed the landing. On this attempt, the survivors were able to make their way to the helicopter. In route to the coast he encountered and successfully evaded additional hostile antiaircraft fire and, with fuel for only minutes of flight remaining, landed safely aboard U.S.S. Jouett (DLG-29). Lt. Lassen's extraordinary heroism at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Navy.

 

The USS Lassen (DDG 82) named in his honor.
 USS Lassen website

 

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission! 

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ Hall of Heroes: Clyde E Lassen ~

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[left that other site]

Hi Everybody!

(((HUGS)))

[PROCON]

Good evening Kathy and thanks for honoring tonight’s Hero!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[The Mayor]

September 25

Reason for Fear

Bible in a Year:

• Song of Songs 6–8
• Galatians 4

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

Psalm 118:6

When I was a boy, the schoolyard was where bullies threw their weight around and kids like me received that bullying with minimal protest. As we cowered in fear before our tormenters, there was something even worse: their taunts of “Are you scared? You’re afraid of me, aren’t you? There’s no one here to protect you.”

In fact, most of those times I really was frightened—and with good cause. Having been punched in the past, I knew I didn’t want to experience that again. So, what could I do and whom could I trust when I was stricken with fear? When you’re eight years old and being bullied by a kid who is older, bigger, and stronger, the fear is legitimate. 

When the psalmist faced attack, he responded with confidence rather than fear—because he knew he didn’t face those threats alone. He wrote, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118:6). As a boy, I’m not sure I would have been able to understand his level of confidence. As an adult, however, I’ve learned from years of walking with Christ that He’s greater than any fear-inducing threat.

The threats we face in life are real. Yet we need not fear. The Creator of the universe is with us, and He’s more than enough. .

Reflect & Pray

What are you fearing today? Ask God for His presence, comfort, and protection for whatever you're facing.

Father, thank You that You’re with me and that I can trust You in those moments to see me through by Your grace.

For further study, read When Fear Seems Overwhelming: Finding Courage and Hope.

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

[Cen-Tejas]

Great post about Lassen.

As a former enlisted sailor, I am in particular awe of Lassen who rose to Lieutenant and a Medal of Honor from the enlisted ranks.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening,, ML...((HUGS))...any let up in the rain?

Is Blue warm and dry?

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Whew, reading the thread had me holding my breath!

I hope you’ve managed to have some down time today after the rough week you had.

[left that other site]

Still drizzly, but Blue has a brand new cover.

The other cover was so rotyted by the sun that it just split right down the middle!

[ExTexasRedhead]

D-Day: An Unsung Hero of La Fiere Bridge | American Artifact Episode 100

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fep9QogUM0

U.S. Army historian S.L.A. Marshall is quoted as saying, “La Fière Bridge was the fiercest battle in the European war.” The fighting that took place at La Fiere from June 6-9, 1944 is legendary in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division. In this episode, we’re returning to La Fiere Bridge (our first visit is linked below) to take a fresh look at this engagement and examine a few artifacts from one of the unsung heroes of this battle.

Check the comments below the video.

“My question is ? Why wasn’t Trooper Fitt awarded the C.M.H. instead of the Silver Star even though the Silver Star is a high honor decoration. Placing his life in danger by running towards a tank still capable of inflicting serious damage while under fire to protect his fellow brothers in arms at least in my opinion deserves the C.M.H.”

[luvie]

What a brave hero he was! Thank you for showing us his story!

[luvie]

Good to see YOU!

[radu]

Howdy, PRO.

Did you have a good weekend? Fall weather settled in up there?

It’s certainly felt like fall here the past couple of days. Mighty nippy last night and I think it cued my hummingbirds that it’s to move on south. Only saw a couple of them today.

[luvie]

Hey there radu!

Enjoying some fall weather finally? Did you get any rain over the weekend!

It was just hot and miserable here. Ugh! Cooler tomorrow though. Yay!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...hope you had a restful weekend so you are ready for the coming week of retirement.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Mayor, and thank you for today’s sustenance for body and soul.

Hope you got to have some fun with your car over the weekend.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Cen-Tejas...he was for sure a hero.

And we thank you for your service to our country.

[radu]

Howdy, luvie.

Fall weather has been here this weekend but no rain. We’ll warm up a little this week but it’ll still be comfy with low to mid 80s.

Sorry to hear it was hot again but glad to hear it’ll cool off tomorrow. Now if will just STAY cooler.