Clyde
Bonnelycke
Bonnelycke
SSgt · Range · 11B · Infantryman
Known as "Sergeant B"
In-Country Service
–
Home of Record
Tacoma, Washington
Character of Service
Honorable
Archive Status
Active
Service timeline drawn from Hall of Valor (Military Times) general orders citations and Doug Sterner's profile in Vietnam magazine (HistoryNet, April 2022), based on a personal interview with Bonnelycke. If you served with Clyde Bonnelycke or have additional information, please use the contribute form.
1968-01-19
Silver Star
Silver Star — Quang Tri Province, January 19, 1968
Serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company C, 1st Battalion, 3d Marines, SGT Bonnelycke's platoon was ordered to assist a friendly unit that had become heavily engaged with a numerically superior enemy force north of the Cua Viet River. The Marines were immediately pinned down by heavy small arms and automatic weapons fire from numerous fortified positions. Bonnelycke exposed himself to the fire, maneuvered across twenty-five meters of fire-swept terrain, and assaulted an enemy bunker — silencing it with a grenade. His actions helped his unit account for twenty-three enemy soldiers confirmed killed. He was awarded the Silver Star (Navy Award) for this action.
1969-07-13
Silver Star
Silver Star — Tay Ninh Province, July 13, 1969
Now serving with D Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry (Airmobile), SGT Bonnelycke was acting as Platoon Leader of the Second Platoon during a search and clear mission in Tay Ninh Province when the point element was ambushed with mines, machine-guns, and small arms fire. The initial contact wounded several men in his platoon. With no base of fire from which to mount a counter-attack, Bonnelycke moved forward to his wounded machinegunner, picked up the weapon, and laid down suppressive fire, enabling the platoon to attack. When his ammunition was spent, he seized grenades and silenced an enemy bunker with accurate throws. Five wounded soldiers were evacuated and the ambush was broken. He was awarded the Silver Star with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (2nd Award) for this action. General Orders No. 10412, HQ 1st Cavalry Division, August 26, 1969.
1969-08-12
Silver Star
Silver Star — Tay Ninh Province, August 12, 1969
One month later, SSG Bonnelycke's base came under an intense rocket, mortar, and ground attack. He left the safety of his own bunker and went to a bunker that had taken a direct hit, pulling wounded soldiers to safety. He then raced to the berm and placed suppressive fire on the enemy with a machine gun; when it ran out of ammunition, he moved to a second gun and continued firing. Despite his own wounds, he repeatedly returned to the berm to engage the enemy and helped carry the wounded to safety. He was awarded the Silver Star with Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (3rd Award) for this action. General Orders No. 5044, HQ 1st Cavalry Division, April 4, 1970.
1988-05-01
Retired
Retired — Master Sergeant, May 1, 1988
Clyde Bonnelycke retired from the U.S. Army on May 1, 1988 as a Master Sergeant (MSG/E-8), after more than ten years in the Marine Corps and nineteen years in the Army — approximately twenty-nine years of combined service. He settled in Lytle, Texas. Among his decorations: three Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts.
2024-11-16
Passed
Passed away — November 16, 2024, Lytle, Texas
MSG Clyde Lee Bonnelycke passed away on November 16, 2024, in Lytle, Texas, where he had lived since his retirement. He was remembered in the veteran community as a genuine "Marine's Marine" and one of the most decorated small-unit leaders of the Vietnam War.
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