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 Captain (Infantry) John Daniel Herren (ASN: 0-83724), United States Army, for gallantry in action while engaged in military operations in the Republic of Vietnam. Captain Herren, while serving as Commanding Officer, Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), led his company on 14 – 15 November 1965, while participating in an assault against a North Vietnamese Army battalion in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. At approximately 1400 hours, Captain Herren’s company came under intense small arms and automatic weapons fire from well-fortified enemy positions. One platoon of the company became encircled and cut off. Captain Herren, after engaging a North Vietnamese Army scout, was pinned down by heavy machine fire that killed his radio operator and severely wounded the Company D Commander who had just landed in the Landing Zone. While continuing to direct his cut off platoon leader and getting mortar and artillery fire to help them, he put a tourniquet on the Company D Commander’s arm to stop the bleeding and then carried him with another soldier back to the Battalion aid station under heavy fire from the enemy. Later in the afternoon, Captain Herren moved his remaining platoons along with Company A to try and get to the cutoff platoon but darkness and enemy fire prevented that relief until the next day when he led his company with reinforcing units on his left flank, to the platoon and evacuated the dead, wounded, and remaining soldiers to the Battalion’s defensive positions. Captain Herren’s gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty were in keeping with highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.