Eugene Lunsford Clay
Staff Sergeant
37TH ARRS, 3RD AIR RESCUE GROUP, 7TH AF United States Air Force Arlington, Texas February 20, 1939 to November 09, 1967 EUGENE L CLAY is on the Wall at Panel 29E, Line 57 |
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When I graduated from Basic Training in July '02, I purchased a POW/MIA bracelet that I have worn every day since. It bears the name of SSgt Eugene L. Clay. I never knew this man, but his name and his sacrifice are etched in my heart like they are etched in The Wall. Words may never say enough, however, "Thank you, SSgt Clay".
Andrea Day |
Notes from The Virtual WallOn 08 November 1967, two HH-3E SAR helicopters of the 37th ARRS departed Danang Air Base for an emergency extraction of a Special Forces road watch team operating in Laos. Shortly after midnight on 09 Nov 67 JOLLY GREEN 29 picked up part of the team before being severely damaged by hostile fire and forced to leave the area. His wingman, JOLLY GREEN 26, then attempted pick-up of the two remaining team members. The two men were brought aboard by hoist, but as the HH-3E (now with 6 men aboard) began lift-out it was heavily hit and crashed in flames.A search team was inserted into the area during the afternoon of 09 November and reached the downed helicopter as dusk approached. The search team did not actually search the HH-3 wreckage until after daybreak on 10 November, at which time they recovered and identified the remains of five men (three aircrew and the two Special Forces team members). The HH-3E pilot, Captain Gerald O. Young, had escaped the burning aircraft and was recovered (Captain Young received the Medal of Honor for his actions). Weather and enemy action precluded removal of the bodies from the area, so that five men were left behind when the search team was extracted:
Regardless of the discrepancies between TFO and the POW Network reports, two indisputable facts remain Five Americans died when JOLLY GREEN 26 went down, and their remains have not yet been repatriated.Captain Ralph W Brower, SSG Eugene L Clay, and SGT Larry W Maysey received posthumous Air Force Crosses for their parts in the rescue attempt. |
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