Distinguished Unit Citation Awarded to the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate), USA.

BY VIRTUE of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States I have today awarded

THE DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION

FIRST OAK LEAF CLUSTER)

FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM

TO

THE 1ST BATTALION (AIRBORNE),

503D INFANTRY,

I73D AIRBORNE BRIGADE (SEPARATE)

UNITED STATES ARMY

AND THE ATTACHED UNITS

HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS COMPANY,

COMPANY A, COMPANY B, AND COMPANY C

OF THE 1ST BATTALION (AIRBORNE),

503D INFANTRY, I73D AIRBORNE BRIGADE

(SEPARATE)

THE IST TEAM OF THE 3D RADIO RELAY UNIT

THE COMPOSITE SQUAD OF THE I73D ENGINEER

COMPANY

The foregoing companies of and units attached to the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate) distinguished themselves by extraordinary heroism in action against hostile forces in the vicinity of Bien Hoa, Republic of Vietnam, on 8 November 1965. The morning after the Battalion had conducted a search operation and learned from patrols that a strong hostile element was in the general area, Company C, the lead Company, encountered a well-entrenched and camouflaged Viet Cong force. When the insurgents opened fire with a volume of automatic weapons fire, the United States forces retaliated.

As the battle grew in intensity and it became evident that Company C had engaged a battalion-size Viet Cong element which attempted to surround the flanks of this American unit, Company B was committed to secure the right flank of Company C. Simultaneously, elements of Company A attacked the left flank of the insurgent force. Although Company B met strong resistance and fought at close range in a dense jungle area, it succeeded in penetrating the hostile circle around Company C. Then, as Company B's open flank was being enveloped, the brave men of this Company broke a hostile encirclement for the second time.

Despite the constant Viet Cong assaults, their continual attacks in human waves, and the many casualties sustained by the American units, the gallant and determined troops of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry repulsed the Viet Cong and inflicted severe losses upon them. After a battle which raged throughout the afternoon, elements of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry defeated a numerically superior hostile force and, on the following morning, counted four hundred and three Viet Cong dead in the immediate area.

The devotion to duty, perseverance, and extraordinary heroism displayed by these members of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry and the attached units are in the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon themselves and the armed forces of their country.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON