The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Hospital Corpsman Third Class Matthew John Krist (NSN: 7942936), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action on 21 August 1966, while serving as a Medical Corpsman with the Third Platoon, Company H, Second Battalion, Third Marines, during Operation ALLEGHENY in the Republic of Vietnam. While holding a captured Viet Cong camp, high in the mountains southwest of DaNang, until reinforcements arrived, the Third Platoon determined to decrease the possibility of an enemy surprise attack in their area of responsibility by placing a fire team 100 meters outside the lines as an observation post. When the fire team, en route to its position, was engaged at point-blank range by heavy hostile automatic weapons fire and by volleys of grenades rolled down the hill, sustaining serious casualties, Petty Officer Krist, along with his squad, moved out as a reaction force to aid the endangered fire team. With only one member of the fire team able to withstand the effects of his wounds sufficiently to provide covering fire for the advancing squad, Petty Officer Krist nonetheless raced ahead of the squad into the hail of intense enemy fire to treat the wounded. Attending to the immediate needs of two of the wounded, he continued moving forward to the third casualty and was coolly and professionally administering aid when he, himself, was mortally wounded. By his exceptional valor and inspiring devotion to duty, Petty Officer Krist upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.