About this episode

Max Cleland shares his harrowing experience as a combat medic in Vietnam, alongside Clarence Sasser's Medal of Honor story.

Combat Medics courageously fought to save lives as the war raged around them in Vietnam. Helicopters became virtual hospitals in the air, buying the medic valuable time to heal the wounded. Max Cleland, a future US Senator from Georgia, lost three limbs when a grenade exploded in his hand. His life was saved by four beleaguered field medics. In this dramatic episode, Max Cleland recounts his story and we also hear from Clarence Sasser, who earned the Medal of Honor as a Combat Medic in Vietnam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guests: Max Cleland, Clarence Sasser

Topics covered

• Vietnam War
• Combat Medics
• Medal of Honor
• Field Medicine
• War Stories

Keywords

• Vietnam
• Combat Medics
• Max Cleland
• Clarence Sasser
• Medal of Honor
• war stories
• helicopters
• field medics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Evergreen Podcasts, The Honor Project

More episodes of Warriors In Their Own Words | First Person War Stories

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• Wild Weasels in Vietnam: From the Archive · February 26, 2026 · 1h 4m
• Bat 21Rescue in Vietnam: From the Archive · February 12, 2026 · 40 min
• Forward Air Controllers in Vietnam: From the Archive · January 29, 2026 · 46 min

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