The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel (Infantry) Leonard Aardale Morley (ASN: 0-82065), United States Army, for repeated gallantry in action during the period September 1966 through January 1967, while serving as Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, 22d Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Morley consistently demonstrated unusual courage in aggressively leading his battalion against a determined enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 16 September 1966, while flying reconnaissance in his command and control helicopter, he received word than an Air Force pilot had been downed in his vicinity. Undeterred by the knowledge that a large enemy force was operating in the area, he began a low level search that led to his discovery of the downed pilot. As rescue ships, directed to the location by Lieutenant Colonel Morley, attempted to extract the pilot by means of a hoist, the man lost his grip and fell into the dense jungle below. Lieutenant Colonel Morley had his aircraft land in the nearest clearing, about 1,000 meters away, and led a rescue party of three men into the enemy-infested forest in a daring attempt to reach the endangered pilot. Stalwartly forging his way through the dense undergrowth and marking his courage with smoke grenades to alert the gunships of his progress, Lieutenant Colonel Morley and his team located the pilot, who had been fatally wounded by the fall. He then led his men on the difficult trek back to the extraction site. Again on 21 September 1966, he displayed bravery, a keen interest in the actions of his men and an intense desire to remain fully abreast of the tactical situation. In his Command and Control Helicopter, while searching for signs of enemy activity, he observed a platoon of Viet Cong moving toward a small village. He immediately called in an airstrike, which forced the enemy to drop their equipment and scatter into the hills. He then directed Company C to move into the area by armored personnel carrier and to conduct a search of the vicinity. Upon the arrival of Company C, he landed his helicopter and proceeded with them on their mission, providing sound advice and invaluable information gained from his aerial observation of the fleeing enemy. His example of deep concern for the men through his personal involvement in the operation, at great risk to his safety, inspired the officers and men of Company C and insured a successful outcome. On numerous other occasions, Lieutenant Colonel Morley courageously accompanied his units on various missions. In December 1966 and January 1967, despite the imminent danger of heavy contact with the enemy, he traveled for several days with his rifle companies in their search and destroy operations in order to gain better insight into the conduct of the missions and to observe actual field conditions. On 4 January 1967, he joined a reconnaissance platoon in a village clearing operation, where he helped with the interrogation of suspected Viet Cong. Lieutenant Colonel Morley has continually placed himself in the midst of combat operations in his insistent (Remainder of Citation Missing.)