Larry Wayne Maysey was born on May 18, 1946, to Charles and Charlotte Maysey. His home of record is Chester, NJ. He attended the former Williamson School on Main Street, which housed grades K – 8. He attended West Morris High School, now West Morris Central, and graduated in 1965. In high school he was interested in sports, especially football and baseball. He also enjoyed music.
Larry entered the US Air Force where he attained the rank of Sergeant (SGT). Maysey was then assigned to Vietnam as a helicopter advisor and worked as a rescue specialist.
On November 8, 1967, 23 days after he had arrived in Vietnam, Larry Maysey was listed as missing in action when his helicopter crashed.
He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Air Force Cross.
His Air Force Cross citation reads:
The Air Force Cross is presented to Larry Wayne Maysey, Sergeant, U.S. Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force as a Pararescueman in Southeast Asia on 9 November 1967. On that date, Sergeant Maysey attempted the night extraction of a ground reconnaissance team after his helicopter had been severely damaged. Two other helicopters had been shot down and a third extensively damaged in previous attempts. During the rescue attempt, Sergeant Maysey unhesitatingly exposed himself to the hail of hostile fire to assist wounded survivors into the helicopter. The hostile forces closed in quickly, and as the damaged helicopter departed, it was shot down. Though his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Sergeant Maysey reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Synopsis (from the POW Network) as to the circumstances behind being listed as MIA:
On November 8, 1967, Maysey’s helicopter, “Jolly Green 26”, braved ground fire while trying to pick up two wounded men, SP4 Joseph Kusick and MSGT Bruce Baxter. After being hit by automatic weapons fire, Jolly Green 26 crashed and burned.
By the afternoon of November 9, 1967, a recovery team was inserted into the area and reached the crash site of the burned HH3. Because of fading light, it was impossible to inspect the wreckage at that time.
On November 10, 1967, the wreckage was searched and three charred remains were found. Two of the bodies had identification tags that identified them as members of the crew. The third set of remains had no tags but were identified as SP4 Kusick, radio operator of the team, as the long antenna from his radio was found on the body. Gerald Young, a captain on the mission, survived and was rescued seventeen hours after the crash. Weather conditions and enemy action would not permit helicopters to make the removal of the remains either that day or the next.
The remains of the crew and the passengers aboard Jolly Green 26 were never recovered. Because his remains have never been recovered, Maysey remains listed as unaccounted for in Southeast Asia. Maysey is officially listed as missing in action.
Larry Maysey’s family and friends are dedicated to the goal of bringing his remains home. On May 30, 2005, in his hometown of Chester, a Larry Maysey Memorial was dedicated in his memory. The memorial is located on Main Street near the Chester Fire House. It is dedicated to all American soldiers killed during times of conflict. The memorial has a statue of a soldier dresses in an Air Force uniform like the one Maysey wore. In addition, part of the memorial contains a large black granite wall with the names of all the veterans from Chester who died in American conflicts, beginning with the Civil War.
Sources: Charlotte Hoffman (mother), POW Network, newspaper clippings, various websites and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
