Larry Wayne Maysey

	Photo courtesy of Jeff Nash, MSgt, USAF (Ret)

The database page for Larry Wayne Maysey

05 Apr 1999 Larry Maysey is not forgotten. He was a true hero in every sense of the word. While I never knew him, he has become part of my family. We will not rest until his remains are found and returned to US soil. My full memorial to him is located at http://www.scally.com/mia/maysey.html I am constantly updating the site as we get more information, pictures, etc. If you have anything about Larry that you'd like to share with the world, please send it to me. Thanks! Lorrie Scally lorrie@scally.com

4 May 2004 Yes, I knew Larry when he was in school. He was a very nice gentleman and I really liked him a lot as a good soldier and civilian. He was smart and very creative. I originally was from Mendham where I worked in a garage next to his parents' home. I know he is with the Lord now and some day I will be there too. He was very thoughtful man in his life - he was like me, always wanted to help someone no matter what the consequences. I really miss him as a good friend. I am going to the Wall again and want to put a wreath there for all of his good work in the service. May God bless his family in Jesus' name. From a good friend, Ralph E Smith formerly from Mendham, NJ 5002 Rt. 309 #550, Center Valley, Pa 18034 03 Nov 2005 Well, Larry will rest in peace in the name of our Lord. He was a great American hero of the Vietnam War and everbody who knew him should be proud of such a good soldier as he was to our country and don't ever anybody forget what he did for our country, OK? "Bye" From Ralph Smith and God bless him always. From a good friend, Ralph E Smith ralph5002@aol.com

Notes from The Virtual Wall On 08 November 1967, two HH-3E SAR helicopters of the 37th ARRS departed Danang Air Base for an emergency extraction of a Special Forces road watch team operating in Laos. Shortly after midnight on 09 Nov 67 JOLLY GREEN 29 picked up part of the team before being severely damaged by hostile fire and forced to leave the area. His wingman, JOLLY GREEN 26, then attempted pick-up of the two remaining team members. The two men were brought aboard by hoist, but as the HH-3E (now with 6 men aboard) began lift-out it was heavily hit and crashed in flames. A search team was inserted into the area during the afternoon of 09 November and reached the downed helicopter as dusk approached. The search team did not actually search the HH-3 wreckage until after daybreak on 10 November, at which time they recovered and identified the remains of five men (three aircrew and the two Special Forces team members). The HH-3E pilot, Captain Gerald O. Young, had escaped the burning aircraft and was recovered (Captain Young received the Medal of Honor for his actions). Weather and enemy action precluded removal of the bodies from the area, so that five men were left behind when the search team was extracted: From the 37th ARRS (HH-3E tail number 66-13279) CPT Ralph Wayne Brower, copilot SSG Eugene Lunsford Clay, flight engineer SGT Larry Wayne Maysey, pararescueman From C&C Central, MACV-SOG (5th SFG) MSGT Bruce R. Baxter SGT Joseph G. Kusick The Task Force Omega (TFO) and POW Network sites contain additional and somewhat conflicting information. TFO states that two helicopters (one US UH-1B and one South Vietnamese H-34) were downed in the area before JOLLY GREEN 29 made the first pickup, and Captain Young's MoH Citation contains the sentence "Previous (pickup) attempts had resulted in the loss of 2 helicopters to hostile ground fire." The POW Network makes no mention of these two aircraft. The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots' Association database shows one UH-1B (64-13986, 282nd AHC) hit on 8/9 November, but that aircraft returned to base. The database contains no mention of a downed SVN H-34. The POW Network includes a 12 Mar 2001 e-mail from Jeff Nash, MSgt USAF (Ret), citing mission reports from the 37th ARRS and a supporting MC-130 crew which indicate all five men were located and identified; TFO states that only four bodies were located and identified. TFO states that after the HH-3E went down there were a total of 23 US/SVN personnel on the ground (12 road-watch teammembers, 4 US crewmen from the UH-1B, 3 ARVN from the ARVN H-34, and 4 US from the HH-3H (sic)) and that all but the five listed above were recovered on 09 Nov; apart from 5 road-watch teammembers (3 on JOLLY GREEN 29; 2 on JOLLY GREEN 26) the POW Network mentions only Captain Young. TFO incorrectly identifies JOLLY GREEN 26 as an HH-3H rather than an HH-3E, a small but inexplicable error. Regardless of the discrepancies between TFO and the POW Network reports, two indisputable facts remain: Five Americans died when JOLLY GREEN 26 went down, and their remains have not yet been repatriated. Captain Ralph W Brower, SSG Eugene L Clay, and SGT Larry W Maysey received posthumous Air Force Crosses for their parts in the rescue attempt.

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 05 Apr 1999
Last updated 08/10/2009