Lassen (DDG 82) - Naval Cruise Book

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DEPARTURE •■•(■•■■• §■■■■■•■• ■■■■■•■■■ i •■(■■•■•■■a From: To: DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY USS LASSEN (DDG 82) FPOAP 96671 -1299 Commanding Officer, USS LASSEN (DDG 82) Whom It May Concern ICOO DDG 82 9 Jan 3 S ' ob: : LETTER OF NOTIFICATION In support of Operation Enduring Preedoii and the Global War on Terrorism, USS LASSEN (DDG 82) will be deploying in the month of January for an extended period. This letter is applicable to all USS LASSEN (DDG 82) crew who can be identified by the command crest affixed Co their military identification card. This deployrnent is an unexpected and unplanned operational requirement and absolutely no fault of the service member. Consequently, it is requested that any fees or penalties associated with early termination of services be fully waived for LASSEN Sailors. Additionally, this letter certifies a military operational requirement that requires the service members presence overseas for an extended period and validates any military clauses m any existing accounts, contracts, or agreements. Your support of the Armed Services is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or desire to extend your support of LASSEN Sailors further, please contact me or my representatives directly at (619)556-4438 or oneal@lassen. navy.mil . Sincerely, H. W. O ' NEAL By direction w af

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LCDR LASSEN Commander Clyde Everett Lassen, USN, (1942-1994), a native of Fort Myers, Florida, eamed the Congressional Medal of Honor for his courageous rescue of two downed aviators while commander of a search and rescue helicoppter :in Vietnam. 4 On June 1 9, 1 968, Lassen, then a 27 year ■ old Lieutenant flying a U H-2 Seasprite, embarked on a mission to recover two downed naval aviators whose plane had been shot down deep In North Vietnamese tenitory. Upon reaching the hilly terrain where the aviators were hiding, LT Lassen made several attempts to recover the aviators, but dense tree cover, |my weapons fire and intermittent illumination ted his efforts. Determined to complete his n, LT Lassen tumed on the landing lights i hellicopter, despite the danger of revealing sition to the enemy. After the pilots made way to the helicopter and with his bullet- Kl helicopter dangerously low on fuel, LT en evaded further antiaircraft fire before iig safely at sea onboard a guided missile ,x)yer - with only five minutes of fuel left in the helicopter ' s fuel lines. The accoUnVHHHBe was logged as a successful, routine search and rescue mission. But at the home base for Helicopter Combat Squadron Seven, the rescue flight of June 19, 1968, will always be acdaimed as one of the most daring feats of flying to come out of the Vietnam Conflict. LT Lassen became the first naval aviator and fifth Navy man to be awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in Vietnam.

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