Clinton Dale Poley

Clinton Dale Poley, 75, of Ackley, Iowa, passed away April 25, 2020, at this home in Ackley. He was born July 30, 1942, in Hampton, Iowa, to Herman and Dorothy (Muller) Poley. Clinton graduated from Ackley High School in 1960. He was affiliated with the St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Geneva and a member of Amvets, American Legion, and VFW. Clinton served in the United States Army in the Republic of Vietnam as an assistant machine gunner, 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang Valley. He was discharged from the service in 1966 and went home to Iowa and the family farm. Poley was judged seventy percent disable due to the wounds suffered in LZ X-Ray. Poley, a bachelor lived alone on this farm outside Ackley, Iowa. In 1990, wrote this about his life, "Some might ask why I haven't forgotten about Vietnam after all these years. Every night I rub a towel over all my scars and see them in the mirror. I think of all those guys killed in action, wounded in action, and their friends, their relative, and all those altered lives. How could I forget? It's not so much what we went through as it is knowing what the other guys went through...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

They died dirty. They died hot, hungry and exhausted. They died thinking that their loved ones would never know how they died. I'm so proud to have been there and so proud of the guys who were there with me. I fought for this country and now I own and farm 120 acres of my country. To me, that seems proper, and just and so right." Clinton was wounded three times at LZ-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley from November 14-17, 1965. Forty-two of the 106 men in his company died during that battle. For his service, on May 3, 1966, Clinton Poley was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for heroism in ground combat. On December 14, 1965, Poley received the Purple Heart for wounds received on 15th November 1965 in Vietnam. Clinton Poley was a very private person. He was highly intelligent, a wonderful writer and a war hero. He loved motorcycles and cars - especially his Corvette. Clinton is survived by his sister Marilyn Poley of Hampton. He is preceded in death by his parents.