photo #8618275

Remembering Chief Warrant Officer Larry Dexter Carlisle, a brave 21-year-old helicopter pilot from Miami, Florida, who gave his life in service to his country during the Vietnam War.Larry enlisted in the Army and trained as a utility and light cargo single-rotor helicopter pilot, earning the MOS designation 062B. He arrived in Vietnam on September 27, 1967, and was assigned to A Company, 228th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion, 11th Aviation Group, 1st Cavalry Division—a unit renowned for its critical role in air mobility operations across the battlefield. On June 11, 1968, just nine months into his tour, Larry volunteered for a high-risk assignment to deliver supplies to Landing Zone Jane in Quang Tri Province, near the Quang Tri River. As his helicopter, call sign RAZORBACK 092, approached the landing zone on short final, it came under intense enemy fire from outside the perimeter. An AK-47 round pierced the plexiglass cockpit, ricocheted off the cyclic control, and struck Larry in the chest, causing a fatal wound. He died instantly in the arms of his fellow soldier, retired Army Colonel Joey Strickland, who held him and recited the Lord's Prayer in those final moments. Posthumously promoted to Warrant Officer One, Larry's heroism earned him the Purple Heart and other commendations for his valor. He is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall at Panel 58W, Line 22, and rests at Miami Memorial Park in his hometown. God bless this hero forever!