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 pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Jeffry Randal Riek, United States Army, for gallantry in action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. First Lieutenant Riek distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions while serving with Company E, 2d Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy in Long An Province, Republic of Vietnam, on 25 February 1970. On that date, First Lieutenant Riek was leading a combined Souther Vietnamese and American Reconnaissance platoon on a mission against Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Regulars in the Mekong Delta. The platoon ran into an ambush with heavy fire and the four Vietnamese soldiers at the front of the formation were wounded. First Lieutenant Riek and his radio-telephone operator provided covering fire so the rest of the platoon could get into a bomb crater. While selflessly exposed to the enemy to cover their withdrawal, both he and the RTO were killed by enemy fire. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by First Lieutenant Riek, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.