HN3 CLAUDE RICE
Claude was born in Marshallville, Georgia, a rural Georgia community a hour from Plains, home of President Jimmy Carter, and from the notorious Civil War prison in Andersonville. During high school, he moved to Fort Myers, and resided with his Uncle Julias and Aunt Louise Ryan in the Dunbar community, graduating from Dunbar High School, class of 1961.
It is believed he was in the Navy for about a year prior to his death having gone to Atlanta to join. At the same time he was in Vietnam, where he was fighting for the rights of others, his own rights as a Black in America were constantly being challenged in the courts and on the streets.
On October 8, 1963, he and fellow Corpsman, HM3 Manuel Reyes Denton would be the first African-American Corpsman to die in Vietnam. He was killed on a Search and Rescue mission when the UH-34D helicopter he was in was lost. He had volunteered for the mission and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal. The story of the mission is outlined in a book called “LUMINOUS BASE”. He served with the 1MAW, MAG16, HMM-361.
He was awarded Marine Corp Combat Aircrew Wings, with 3 stars, a Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal w/No 1, Navy Commendation Medal w/Valor Pin, Combat Action Ribbon, National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service w/Bronze Star, Marine Corps Device Medal, and Vietnam Gallantry Cross unit Citation Medal, and Vietnam Campaign Medal.
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