Thomas Dean Clem ★ Vietnam War Gold Star Veteran from Indiana
On May 3, 1968 Captain Clem was declared a casualty of the Vietnam War. ★ He served with honor in the United States Marine Corps. ★ He is remembered by the people of Indiana. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Click to Submit Update Request for this Fallen Service Member▼ Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Thomas Dean Clem is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2016-12-06 20:35:04.
Missing : Core Data
· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location· Educational background
· Marriage history
· Parents, family history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 266813 |
| Service ID | 304429670 |
| Name | Thomas Dean Clem |
| From | New Paris, Elkhart County, Indiana |
| Birth Date | May 31, 1942 |
| Casualty Date | May 3, 1968 |
| War | Vietnam War |
| Service Branch | Marine Corps |
| Rank | Captain |
| Specialty | Pilot VMA A W A 6 |
| Unit/Group | III Marine Amphibious Force, 1st MAW, Mag 12, VMFA 533 |
| Casualty Type | Died while missing in action .. air crash on land .. Body not recovered |
| Location | North Vietnam, Quang Tri province |
| Burial | Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial |
| Notable Awards |
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
Thomas Dean Clem is buried or memorialized at Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.  Thomas is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 54e, Line 24. |
Additional Details
Captain Clem was a member of the Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 533, Marine Attack Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On May 3, 1968, he was the pilot of a Grumman Attack Aircraft Intruder (A-6A) on an armed reconnaissance mission in support of the us Air Force over North Vietnam. Radio contact was lost when his aircraft about 8 miles northwest of the coastal town of Dong Hoi and five miles south east of Bo Trach in Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam. His remains were not recovered.The Battle of Khe Sanh was conducted in northwestern Quaag Tri Province, South Vietnam with roots in 1967, and extending viciously throughout 1968. It was the longest, deadliest and most controversial battle of the Vietnam War. During the battle, a massive aerial bombardment campaign (Operation Niagara) was launched by the United States. Over 100,000 tons of bombs. Five tons of bombs for every one of the 20,000 NVA soldiers in the fight. President Johnson was determined to hold Khe Sanh at all costs. The jungles surrounding Khe Sanh were burned and bombed barren and Khe Sanh became the major news headline coming out of Vietnam in late March 1968. The cost on American lives lost has been estimated to be around 1000 with NVA loses ten times that number. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Action Ribbon
★ United States Aviator Badge
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Indiana Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Indiana who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▼ Indiana was home to over 13,306 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 1,625 World War I
• 9,224 World War II
• 925 Korean War
• 1,531 Vietnam War
• 212 Prisoners of war
• 2,036 Missing in action
• 56 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 134 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 6 Medal of Honor recipients
• 9,224 World War II
• 925 Korean War
• 1,531 Vietnam War
• 212 Prisoners of war
• 2,036 Missing in action
• 56 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 134 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 6 Medal of Honor recipients
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