Clarence Sasser was a U.S. Army combat medic in the Vietnam War who was given the Medal of Honor for his valor in rescuing the wounded.
- Died: May 13, 2024 (Who else died on May 13?)
- Details of death: Died in Sugar Land, Texas at the age of 76.
- We invite you to share condolences for Clarence Sasser in our Guest Book.
Clarence Sasser’s legacy
Born in Texas, Sasser briefly attended the University of Houston before being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1967 after being forced to reduce his courseload to part-time due to a lack of money for tuition. He had been studying chemistry and dreamed of one day being a physician, but with that dream deferred, he was able to achieve a version of it in the Army. Sasser trained as a medic at Fort Sam Houston and soon found himself serving in Vietnam.
A combat medic, Sasser accompanied his platoon when they left camp on missions. In the field, he treated gunshot wounds, shrapnel wounds, and other injuries. On January 10, 1968, he was with his platoon on a reconnaissance mission when they were transferred via helicopter to enemy territory. As soon as they landed, they began receiving enemy fire, and Sasser was shot in the leg as he exited the helicopter.
Sasser shrugged off the gunshot wound, which he called superficial, and immediately got to work assisting other injured soldiers. As he finished bringing one wounded man to safety, Sasser was hit with shrapnel that tore through his back and shoulder. Despite his own injuries, he continued assisting the wounded, exposing himself to more enemy fire. It was a particularly dangerous situation for Sasser — the enemy knew killing a medic would make other soldiers more likely to die due to lack of medical attention — but he made it out alive that day while helping many others in his platoon get to safety. Sasser’s injuries were treated at a military hospital in Japan, and he continued to serve there after his recovery. After the war, he returned to his study of chemistry and went on to work at a petrochemical refinery.
In 1969, Sasser was presented with the Medal of Honor, the official citation noting his “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.” In 2010, a statue depicting him running in uniform with his medic’s bag was erected at the courthouse in his native Brazoria County, Texas.
Notable quote
“The thing that pleases me most about my tour over there was the reverence that was afforded the medics by the infantry soldiers. To them you were Doc. You were the man that if anything went wrong, you were the person that could help them out, possibly save their lives.” — from a 1987 oral history interview for AMEDD Center of History & Heritage
Tributes to Clarence Sasser
Full obituary: The Washington Post
