Henry Robert Claussen

Henry Claussen grew in the Palmer area and graduated from Palmer High School in the class of 1964. He completed an additional two years of school at Iowa Central College and then was drafted into the Army in July 1967. He was a member of the 11th Armored Cavalry, the famed Blackhorse Regiment. Claussen arrived in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive and helped reclaim territory lost to the enemy. His death came in a firefight near Long Khanh not far from An Loc Airfield. PFC Claussen was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery during this combat period. Survived by his widow, he was buried in St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Palmer.