The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Specialist Fourth Class John Harvey Worbington (ASN: RA-18712959), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Specialist Fourth Class Worbington distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 28 February 1967 while serving as acting sergeant of a reconnaissance patrol during a search and destroy mission near Tay Ninh. While moving through thick jungle, the platoon was ambushed by a numerically superior Viet Cong force. Several men were hit within a few minutes, and the patrol lost its leader to the enemy fire. Specialist Worbington took charge of the men and organized them into a perimeter to hold off the enemy’s assaults. Although he was constantly under heavy fire, he collected all of the undamaged weapons from fallen men and redistributed them among the survivors. He then ran to the point of heaviest contact and marked the enemy’s positions with smoke grenades to identify them for supporting armed aircraft. Returning to his men, Specialist Worbington began to treat the wounded. He spotted a Viet Cong machine gun team moving up on the flank. He single-handedly killed the three men and captured their weapon. As he was returning again to his men, an insurgent met him and shot his rifle from his hands. He rolled to the ground, grabbed an enemy rifle that was lying in the dirt, and shot the attacker. When he reached his men, two more Viet Cong were crawling towards his position. He waited until they had approached to within a few meters and killed both of them. Throughout the engagement, he encouraged his men and kept them organized in an effective defensive against the enemy’s assaults until reinforcements could arrive. Specialist Fourth Class Worbington’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.