US Marine Corps PFC Raymond "Mike" Clausen Jr.: Vietnam War Medal of Honor Recipient

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  On today's episode of Duty & Valor, you’ll hear the story of a man who wanted to help our nation during a time of war.  A man who completed his time in combat, only to volunteer to do it again.  A man who faced a minefield to save stranded Marines, all while under enemy fire.  This is the story of Medal of Honor Recipient US Marine Corps PFC Raymond Clausen Jr. 

Raymond Michael Clausen Jr., who would go by Mike, was born on October 14, 1947 in New Orleans to parents Ray Sr. and Mary Louise Clausen.  Including Mike, they had two daughters and three sons.  After the family moved to Hammond, LA, Mike graduated from Hammond High School in 1965.  He then attended Southeastern Louisiana University for a few months before he made the decision to enlist and fight in Vietnam.  Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in March 1966, but was discharged in May so he could enlist in the regular Marines.  

Private Clausen was sent to boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and then to Camp Pendleton for combat training, before attending Aviation Mechanical Fundamentals School and the Basic Helicopter Course at Naval Air Technical Training Center in Memphis. 

As a jet helicopter mechanic, Private Clausen was sent to Vietnam as a member of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in December 1967.  That September he was transferred to the Marine Aircraft Group 16, where he finished his first tour in August of 1968.

After returning stateside for a short time, Private Clausen wanted to return to Vietnam.  In November 1969 he did just that.  Still with Marine Aircraft Group 16, he was assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor squadron 263 as a crew chief on a CH-46D Sea Knight.  As a transport helicopter, the Sea Knight was primarily tasked with transport, medevac, and reconnaissance flights.  

On January 31,  1970, Private Clausen’s helicopter, and two others, had just dropped Marines off on a mission when they were soon contacted, saying those same Marines needed assistance.  

Shortly after hitting the ground, the Marines got into a firefight with the enemy.  As the Marines were maneuvering, they were either drawn into or inadvertently entered a minefield.  Many mines detonated and one Marine was killed and another ten wounded. The other eight Marines were ordered to hold their position so they wouldn’t detonate any more mines. 

The helicopter returned, and with Private Clausen’s help in guiding him, the pilot began his descent.  Private Clausen had identified an area where some mines had already detonated, so he felt that might be the safest place to land.  

As the helicopter hit the ground, Private Clausen ran toward the Marines.  The first man he reached was the radio operator who had made the call for assistance.  The Marine ripped off Clausen’s helmet and yelled at him for entering the mine field.  Realizing his situation, Private Clausen raced back onto the ramp of the helicopter.  In his own words, he said “I sort of flew back to the helicopter, not even touching the ground”.  

Now looking over the minefield in front of him, he saw some Marines carrying a stretcher toward the helicopter when one of them stepped on a mine.  All of them were knocked off their feet, but Private Clausen didn’t know their status at the time.

At that moment, Clausen made the decision to go back out.  He told his pilot his plan. Not wanting to risk further casualties, he told Clausen to stay put, but it was too late.  Private Clausen would later recollect, “I was already disconnected, I was gone”.

Under heavy enemy fire, he made his way to the injured Marines and helped them back to the helicopter.  He identified those who could walk and had them follow his footsteps back, to ensure they didn’t detonate any more mines.  Then Clausen returned to help the wounded who could not walk on their own, bringing them back as well.  In total he did this six times, again all while under heavy enemy fire. During this rescue mission, the helicopter didn’t remain in one spot.  It had maneuvered into three different locations beside the minefield, returning to each one twice.  

On one occasion while carrying a wounded Marine, a nearby mine exploded, killing a corpsman and wounding three others.  After carrying the man to the helicopter, Clausen jumped back out and helped the three wounded men aboard before returning to retrieve the body of the slain corpsman. 

Once Private Clausen was sure all the Marines were aboard the Sea Knight, he motioned to the pilot to get them out of there.  That day, Private Clausen was credited with saving the lives of 18 Marines.  Once they made it back to base, the pilot reprimanded him for disobeying his direct order.   But he knew that he couldn’t pursue a court martial after what Clausen had done.

Private Clausen later returned to the US and was released from active duty in August at the rank of private first class.  

For his valor on January 31, 1970,  Private First Class Raymond “Mike” Clausen was awarded the Medal of Honor.  On June 15, 1971 the medal was bestowed upon him by President Nixon at a White House ceremony.   

In addition to the Medal of Honor, during his time in Vietnam, PFC Clausen received a purple heart and the air medal for heroism with four gold stars.

PFC Raymond “Mike” Clausen passed away on May 20, 2004 at the age of 56.

Raymond Clausen wasn't just a marine; he was the embodiment of courage that defied the odds. Faced with a minefield, he didn't hesitate to save others.  Clausen became a lifeline, carrying his fellow marines to safety one by one. Clausen's actions are a testament to a spirit that can rise above fear and inspire us forward.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Duty & Valor.  To read more about this week’s hero, check out the sources used in today's episode in our show notes and at dutyandvalor.com.  

If you want to listen to our episodes early, we release new episodes on our YouTube channel of the same name on Fridays at 5pm.  Also, on our channel we release daily YouTube shorts that highlight our Nation’s heroes, most of whom haven’t been featured on the show yet. 

Be sure to like, follow, and share our episodes and please join us for our next episode, where we'll be sharing the inspiring story of another American hero who served with pride and lived with humility.