An American Hero

In 1942, a young pregnant military wife named Jacqueline Lassen, found herself in Fort Meyers, Florida, while her husband, Arthur Lassen, was serving elsewhere in the military. On March 14, 1942, a young lad by the name of Clyde Lassen, was welcomed into the family. While young Clyde was just an infant, his mother Jacqueline decided to move back home with her family up in Lake Placid, New York, while Arthur was away serving his country.

 

 

When Clyde Lassen was 3 years old his mother and father were reunited, moved to Englewood, Florida, and gave birth to another son by the name of Gary Lassen. Young Clyde grew up in the Englewood area, eventually graduating from Venice High School in 1960. After graduation he attended Pensacola Junior College in Florida, later enlisting in the Navy in September of 1961.

 

 

The Navy trained young Clyde Lassen as an aviation electronics technician, but soon Clyde wanted to do more for his military career. In 1964, Clyde Lassen was accepted into the Naval Aviation Cadet Program. He graduated from the program on October 12, 1965, received his Commission as a Lt., along with his Wings of Gold. That same month he married his high school sweatheart, Linda. They went on to have two children named Daryl Lassen and Lynne Lassen.

 

 

The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite

 

 

As a new search-and-rescue helicopter pilot, Lt. Lassen's first assignment was with Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 1, in the Philippines. In the Philippines Lassen practiced search and rescue techniques in the jungles of the Philippines. Eventually, HC-1 was redesignated as Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 7, also known as the "Seadevils."

 

 

The helicopter Lassen was trained on was the Kaman SH-2 Seasprite helicopter, designed for the Navy as a compact, all-weather flight capable, multipurpose helicopter. The first few were found to be underpowered, so the Navy ordered some newer ones with two turboshaft engines.

 

 

Kaman UH-2A Seasprite Clyde Everett Lassen flew this helicopter during the rescue of 19 January, 1968.

 

Specifications for the SH-2:

 

• Crew: 3
• Length: 52.2 feet
• Width: 44 feet
• Height: 14.8 feet
• Empty weight: 9,193 pounds
• Max takeoff weight: 13,492 pounds
• Cruise speed: 172 mph
• Service ceiling: 9,843 feet
• Range: 420 miles
• Powerplants: 2 x GE T58

 

From there, Lassen was made the officer in charge of the squadron's Detachment 104, which was based aboard the USS Preble (DLG-15), a destroyer deployed off the coast of Vietnam during the Vietnam war.

 

 

USS Preble (DLG-15), a Farragut-class guided missile frigate. (U.S. Navy)

 

 

The Mission

 

On the night of June 18, 1968, Lt. Cmdrs. John "Claw" Holtzclaw and John A. "Zeke" Burns, flying a McDonnell Douglas F-4J-33-MC Phantom II, were launched off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS America (CV-66), on a night "pouncer" mission to hunt down and destroy North Vietnamese trucks. For this mission the call sign for their aircraft was Root Beer 210.

 

 

This Phantom is a squadron mate of Root Beer 210. (U.S.Navy)

 

 

Shortly after midnight the North Vietnamese fired two SA-2 surface-to-air missles at their Phantom; Holtzclaw and Burns were able to evade them, but a third missle detonated very close to the aircraft and destroyed the outer one-third of the right wing. The hit from the missle also set the aircraft on fire, and as a result, both men were forced to eject from the aircraft over North Vietnamese territory. They landed in a rice paddy and could hear enemy soldiers nearby talking. Burns had broken one of his legs, and had a number of other injuries.

 

 

They fled for their lives!! The enemy was hot on their tails.

 

 

The Rescue

 

 

Soon, an urgent message came into the USS Preble asking for help in rescuing the two downed airmen. Lt jg Lassen and his crew were awakened, and assigned to rescue the crew of Root Beer 210, down 70 miles away in North Vietnam, and in total darkness. Lassen, his co-pilot Lt jg LeRoy Cook, gunners AE2 Bruce Dallas and ADJ3 Don West leapt into action, and at 0022 hours they took off from the USS Preble in their Kaman SH-2A Seasprite helicopter, call sign Clemintine Two, heading into North Vietnam.

 

 

Crew of Clementine Two, Lt. jg. Clyde E. Lassen, AE2 Bruce Dallas, ADJ3 Don West, Lt. jg C. LeRoy Cook.

 

 

Lassen felt the helicopter was too heavy for the mission, and decided not to take on a full load of fuel. In addition, Lassen had to dive at the water to gain flying speed. They arrived on scene at 0141 hours after they saw the glow from the burining Phantom, and were then vectored to where the crew was hiding. Holtzclaw and Burns were in desperate need ot rescue, as the enemy was closing in on their location. 

 

 

Upon arrival they located Holtzclaw and Burns, and support aircraft dropped parachute flares to light up the area. Lassen figured the pickup would have to be made using a "jungle penetrator" attached to the helicopters hoist. The helicopter was already heavily loaded with its four man crew, so Lassen ordered his co-pilot to dump more fuel. Lassen then landed in a clearing near the base of the hill the pilots were on, but the undergrowth was so dense that the pilots couldn't reach the helicopter.

 

 

Lassen then asked the pilots to send up some flares so they could find them from the air. Lassen then was able to hover between two trees about 50 feet above the two pilots, but before Lassen could pull them up, the flares went dark leaving the helicopter in pitch black darkness and in a precarious position. The helicopter collided with a tree, falling into a sharp decent. Fortunately, Lassen's expert piloting skills helped him right the helicopter and move away from the trees.

 

 

Lassen and his crew remained in the area while awaiting another aircraft to come in and drop more flares. He then made a second unsuccessful attempt to land. By now Lassen was very low on fuel, his helicopter was significantly damaged, but Lassen was determined to rescue these two pilots. On his third attempt to rescue the pilots, and while the enemy fire continued to come at him, the flares died yet again. Knowing turning on his landing lights would give his position away, he turned them on anyway so that he could land.

 

 

Lassen kept the helicopter's weight off of the wheels so they wouldn't get stuck in the wet ground, steadily hovering over a rice patty for about two minutes. His gunners lit up the tree line with machine gun fire as Holtzclaw and Burns ran toward the helicopter. Within seconds the gunners pulled the pilots into the helicopter, and then Lassen was in the air again heading away from the area.

 

 

Later, Lt. jg Lassen said that the return flight was the part he was most nervous about. Along the way he had to dodge more hostile anti-aircraft fire, and with only five minutes of fuel left landed the heavily damaged helicopter aboard the USS Jouett. 

 

 

Lieutenant Commander John A. Burns aboard USS Jouett. (U.S. Navy)

 

 

For his bravery and refusal to give up, Lt jg Lassen received the Medal of Honor from President Lyndon B. Johnson at a White House ceremony on January 16, 1969. Lassen was the first of only three naval aviators to earn the nation's highest honor for actions taken in Vietnam.

 

 

President Lyndon Johnson awards the Medal of Honor to Lt Clyde Everett Lassen on 16 January 1969.

 

 

The Medal of Honor 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 two downed aviators, Lt. (then Lt. (j.g.) 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 two 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. En route to the coast he encountered and successfully evaded additional hostile antiaircraft fire and, with fuel for only five minutes of flight remaining, landed safely aboard U.S.S. Jouett (DLG-29).”

 

 

Postscript:

 

 

Lassen remained in the Navy and retired as a Commander in December 1982, after more than 20 years in the service. In 1993, his children finally learned the full story of their father's rescue and Medal of Honor. This was during a National Museum of Naval Aviation symposium that reunited the rescue's participants. Lassen donated his medal to the museum that same year.

 

 

Sadly, on April 1, 1994, Lassen passed away after a battle with cancer. He is buried at Barrancas National Cemetary in Pensacola, Florida. In 2001, a guided missle destroyer was commissioned as the USS Lassen, and it is still in use today.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this trip through some of the history of aviation. If you enjoyed this trip, and if you are new to this blog, sign up to receive your own weekly blog post here: Subscribe here!

 

Until next time, keep your eyes safe and focused on what's ahead of you, Hersch!