More detail on this person: Medal of Honor for a night time rescue of a pair of downed F-4 pilots in North Vietnam in 1968. He was flying a UH-2A Seasprite. He was 52 when he died. Clyde E. Lassen - VA pays tribute to local war hero VA pays tribute to local war hero Englewood Sun (FL) - Friday, July 11, 2008 Decorated Navy pilot Clyde E. Lassen, who grew up in Englewood after spending early childhood years in Lake Placid, was posthumously honored for his service to the nation at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home June 28 in St. Johns County. The Navyman's heroics as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War earned Lassen legendary status in military circles, and his actions ultimately brought him the nation's highest honor -- the Congressional Medal of Honor. While assigned to Helicopter Support Squadron 7, commanding a search and rescue helicopter during operations against enemy forces in North Vietnam, Lassen received a rescue call that would forever change his life. He launched shortly after midnight to attempt a rescue of two downed aviators. The then-lieutenant piloted his craft over hostile terrain to a steep, tree-covered hill on which the survivors had been located. Enemy fire was directed at the helicopter, but he remained steadfast and landed his bird to attempt the rescue. However conditions on the ground -- dense undergrowth that prevented the aviators from approaching -- foiled the first attempt. Flare illuminations were fired, which allowed Lassen to hover his copter between two trees near the downed flyboys. However, a sudden burnout of the flares and the helicopter collided with one of the trees and began a sharp descent. Unfazed, Lassen expertly righted the aircraft. Determined to make another attempt, Lassen moved the helicopter away from the trees while he formulated a plan. Another illuminated rescue failed, and Lassen found his bird to be critically low of fuel. He launched again -- critically low on fuel -- and turned into the face of continuing enemy fire. The flares failed. With no option left, Lassen risked turning on his landing lights, knowing full well they would identify his position to enemy forces, but the landing and rescue were a success. With the rescued pilots on board, Lassen made his way to the coast and evaded hostile anti-aircraft fire. With only five minutes of fuel remaining, he landed safely aboard the USS Jouett. Lassen was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1969 from President Lyndon Johnson in a ceremony at the White House. Englewood was home for hero Lassen was born in Fort Myers on March 14, 1942, and moved to Lake Placid with his mother, Jacqueline (Moore) Lassen. Mother and son settled into the home of Lassen's grandmother, P.D. Moore. Aunt Joy Pryor lived nearby. After Lassen celebrated his third birthday, he and his family moved to the Englewood area, where the young Lassen thrived. He met his wife, Linda, who now lives in Pensacola, while in high school in Englewood. In 1961, he entered the Navy in Jacksonville, and earned his commission and aviator wings in 1965. He retired as a Navy commander in 1982. He died in 1994 and is buried at Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola. Lassen has continued to receive local and national honors since receiving the Medal of Honor. Englewood's VFW post has been named the Clyde E. Lassen Memorial VFW Post 10178, and several years after his death, the United States Navy named an Aegis guided missile destroyer the "USS Lassen" in his honor. The naming of the state's newest VA nursing home after Lassen is another milestone. The 120-bed skilled nursing facility will be the first Florida veterans home to be named after a U.S. Navy veteran. It is considered by many to be an appropriate naming, as there are two large naval installations nearby. Representing Lassen's family at the event were Pryor, of Lake Placid, and niece, Adrienne Cook, the daughter of Lassen's brother, Clyde. "It is a wonderful thing they are doing, I tell you, building these centers to take care of our soldiers returning from fighting in Iraq," Pryor said of the ceremony. Lassen is survived by two children: a son, Darreel, who works with the federal government and was recently transferred to an assignment in the North; and a daughter, Lynelle, an artist based in Atlanta.
Burial information: Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, FL
This information was last updated 02/20/2019
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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