Clarence Sasser

Clarence Eugene Sasser was a United States Army soldier who was awarded the military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War. Serving as a medical aidman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Sasser distinguished himself during a reconnaissance in force operation in Ding Tuong Province, Republic of Vietnam.

On January 10, 1968, Sasser's company conducted an air assault and was immediately pinned down by heavy enemy fire from three sides, resulting in over 30 casualties within the first few minutes. Without hesitation, Sasser ran across an open rice paddy through intense fire to assist the wounded. Despite being painfully wounded in the shoulder by rocket fragments, he refused medical attention and continued to search for and treat casualties under continuous fire.

Sasser sustained two additional wounds that immobilized his legs, but he dragged himself through the mud for 100 meters to reach and treat another wounded soldier. He then encouraged a group of soldiers to crawl to relative safety, where he attended to their wounds for five hours until they could be evacuated. Sasser was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard M. Nixon in 1969.