Marine Major Stephen W. Pless served his country during the Vietnam conflict, where circumstances placed a premium on his courage and skill as a helicopter pilot. Pless was born Stephen Pollard on September 6, 1939, in Newnan, Georgia. At a young age, his parents divorced and his mother remarried, changing his name to Stephen Pless.

After graduating from high school, Pless entered the Georgia Military Academy and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1956. He served with the First Motor Transport Battalion in Atlanta before graduating from the military academy in 1957. He completed boot camp at Parris Island the same year.

After boot camp, Pless served in the Tenth Marine Regiment, Second Division as an artillery surveyor before attending flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 1958. He received a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1959, and was promoted First Lieutenant and Naval Aviator a year later.

Pless completed his first tour of duty in Vietnam as an Assistant Administrative Officer in 1963 and reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola to serve as Officer in Charge and Basic Flight Instructor at the Aviation Officer Candidate School. He received a promotion to the rank of Captain in August 1966, before returning to Vietnam for a second tour of duty.

On August 19, 1967, Pless while on a routine combat mission, discovered a downed Army helicopter under intense Viet Cong fire. He rescued three crewmembers while fighting off an intense enemy barrage, earning the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions. Following his second tour in Vietnam, Pless was promoted to Major and Administrative Assistant of Officer Candidate School at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

In July of 1969, Pless was killed in a motorcycle accident. Major Stephen W. Pless was a true American hero, flying seven hundred and eighty combat missions and receiving more than fifty medals and decorations including the Medal of Honor, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal.

Researched and written by Kathleen Zielinski.