The Naval Helicopter Association (NHA) and the USS Midway Museum has gifted Naval Air Station North Island with the Lassen Memorial, a helicopter memorial to honor Naval Aviator Commander Clyde Lassen who passed away in 1994.
The memorial will be erected in January of 2025, but the project broke ground on Sept. 6 in front of the gates to Naval Air Station North Island.
Lassen received a medal of honor in 1969 from President Lyndon B. Johnson for his efforts in saving two downed naval aviators in North Vietnam the year before, according to Bill Personius, president of the NHA and a retired U.S. Navy captain.
Twenty-six years old at the time, Lassen, a lieutenant, junior grade, flew a night mission over the shrouded and tree-covered hills of Vietnam, attempting to rescue the two pilots.
Consistently being shot at by enemy fire, he still lit flares in order for the grounded aviators to find their way to his helicopter. Lassen picked them up, all sides of his aircraft studded with holes, and flew back to the cruiser with his fuel tank almost empty.
Lassen landed his helicopter with fuel for only five minutes of flight remaining, relayed a video the NHA made.
A year later, Lassen became the first naval aviator to be awarded the medal of honor during the Vietnam War.
Only three naval aviators were awarded the medal of honor for their actions in Vietnam: Lassen, Rear Adm. James Stockdale and Capt. Michael J. Estocin.
And now, more than half a century later, the memory of Lassen will forever fly outside of North Island next to the plane Stockdale flew.
Personius said that this project has been in the works since February of 2021 when retired Adm. John McLaughlin, president and CEO of the USS Midway Museum, approached Personius saying it was about time there was a helicopter at the entrance – especially since the words “Master Helicopter Base” can be seen underneath “Naval Base Coronado,” and there is only a plane out front, Personius laughed.
It took Personius four months to find a helicopter that suited their wants and needs.
He found an out-of-commission H-60 at the Davis-Monthan boneyard in Arizona.
This was not the aircraft that Lassen flew but Personius said “it was the next best thing,” and shipped the helicopter over to San Diego.
In addition to it representing Lassen, there is more meaning behind this particular helicopter.
“The pilots and aircrew [in the Navy now] fly H-60’s, so it makes sense to be at the front gate,” he said.
Once all the paperwork was done and the project had made its way up the ladder and been approved, the helicopter made it on base and it took nine months to fix it up and make it display worthy.
Personius said he thought this memorial would cost a total of about $150,000 to complete, but the number has since skyrocketed. He said he could not give a total estimate to how much the project cost.
There were probably close to 200 people that helped put together this helicopter, Petty Officer Joee Mendez said. Mendez was the machinist in charge of this project.
They hired an artist, Shayne Mader, to paint the hull exactly like the aircraft used in the 100th year centennial celebration of naval aviation in 2011.
It’s blue and golden with stars and shapes, and laden with dedications and tributes to Lassen, ready to be mounted in front of the gates.
The memorial dedication will be held on Jan. 25, 2025 at 10 a.m.
