Denver Family Has Ashes of Vietnam Veteran Spread by U.S. Paratrooper Jumping From Military Aircraft

Photo By Capt. Jennifer French | Cindy Dassinger's photos and mementos of her father, Vietnam Veteran Sgt. James Dassinger, who passed on April 20, 2024. Sgt. Dassinger was in the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) and served from 1967 to 1968 during the Vietnam War.  

AVIANO AIR BASE, ITALY

06.29.2024

Story by Capt. Jennifer French 

173rd Airborne Brigade

As 173rd Airborne Brigade jumpmaster Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Harris stood at the open door of the C-130 Hercules, the roar of the engines and the rush of the wind filled his ears. He had jumped at Aviano Air Base in Italy many times before, but never with a 173rd Airborne Brigade Vietnam Veteran paratrooper.

On Thursday June 27, he kept a small portion of the ashes of late Vietnam Veteran Sgt. James Dassinger remains safely tucked away. Once he landed, he spread Dassinger’s ashes onto Frida Drop Zone.

"One word came to mind when I was reading about him," Harris said. "The word that came to my mind was brave. Talk about an individual in arguably the hardest time of the Vietnam War."

It was exactly what Dassinger’s daughter, Cindy Dassinger, wanted.

Dassinger passed on April 20, 2024. A friend of the Dassinger family was also experiencing grief. Sgt. Daniel Olson of the 173rd Airborne Brigade happened to be in Denver, Colorado in early June on bereavement leave for the loss of his great-grandfather, Navy veteran Clifford Burks.

As Cindy talked to her friend Denise Olson, Daniel’s mother, the women made a surprising discovery. Sgt. James Dassinger and Sgt. Daniel Olson were both in 173rd Airborne Brigade.
“When Cindy sent our friend group a picture of the obituary, I read it, and I said oh my God this is the same brigade as Daniel,” Denise Olson said. “That’s when we came up with the idea.”

Cindy wanted her late paratrooper father to jump one last time from a military aircraft.

“She was scrambling to open her father’s ashes to get some of the ashes to bring to me which was a shock,” Daniel Olson said. “She asked me to do this, and I was honestly honored that she did.”

Daniel Olson agreed to help bring a small portion of Dassinger’s remains back to Italy.

“I immediately cried,” Cindy Dassinger said. “I said that would be so amazing.”

When Olson returned to Italy, he transferred the remains to Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Harris so he could fulfill Cindy’s request. Learning about Sgt. James Dassinger’s service gave Harris a renewed appreciation for Vietnam Veterans.

“I was taken aback and felt truly honored,” said Harris. "It’s really a once in a lifetime opportunity to have the legacy live on. I think legacy is a huge thing. Legacy is what keeps people driving on in the future."

While activated during the Vietnam War, 173rd Airborne Brigade was known as 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) and spent most of its time in the country of Vietnam. Though Sgt. James Dassinger never traveled to Italy, he did jump from planes. Harris wanted to help Dassinger jump from a military aircraft one last time. Cindy couldn’t be happier for her late father.

“He was just a really proud military man,” Cindy Dassinger said.

Olson is currently transferring to 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Liberty, North Carolina. He too has a portion of Sgt. James Dassinger's ashes. There, he plans to jump with the rest of Dassinger’s remains.

“I think that is such a cool thing,” Olson said. “She gave me a small portion of his ashes. My plan is to spread his ashes across various drop zones if I go to any other cool places. I think that having part of them on drop zones across the world would be amazing.”

Vietnam Veteran Sgt. James Dassinger was awarded the Bronze Star Medal on August 24, 1962, on in for his meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces during the Vietnam War.

• Date Taken: 06.29.2024
• Date Posted: 06.29.2024 05:14
• Story ID: 475222
• Location: AVIANO AIR BASE, IT
• Hometown: DENVER, COLORADO, US