Lou Drendel of Venice, Fla. became a member of the 82nd Airborne at age 18 in 1955. He made 41 jumps but never left Fort Bragg. Photo provided
Long before he joined the 82nd Airborne Division as a peacetime warrior in the mid-1950s, Lou Drendel of Venice was fascinated with things military. It began when he was a kid and his father built balsa wood airplane models for him. Read the rest of this entry »
President Lyndon Johnson shakes Clyde Lassen’s hand after awarding him the Medal of Honor at the White House on Jan. 16, 1969. The Englewood, Fla. native was the first Navy aviator to receive the nation’s highest military decoration for valor during the Vietnam War. Photo provided
Lt.j.g. Clyde Lassen’s Medal of Honor commendation
On 19 June 1968 Lt. j.g. Clyde Everett Lassen, a member of Helicopter Support Squadron 7, Detachment 104, Republic of Vietnam was serving aboard USS Preble (DLG-15). Read the rest of this entry »
