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) Frederick Flood Mayer (ASN: 0-83363), United States Army, for gallantry in action on 2 and 3 October 1966, while leading Company B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) (Airmobile, during an assault on the enemy held village of Hoa Hoi, Republic of Vietnam. Upon landing on the beach near the village, Captain Mayer took charge of the two platoons which were first on the ground and began moving them to contact. A few moments off the landing zone, the platoons came under heavy enemy automatic weapons fire which temporarily pinned them down. Realizing that only an assault could even the battle, Captain Mayer, with complete disregard for his own safety, rallied his men and led an attack on the main enemy trench. The North Vietnamese force, later determined to have been two companies, reeled in the face of the aggressive onslaught and retreated deeper into the village. Wounded seriously in the arm, Captain Mayer was assisting a wounded radio operator when he was again hit by enemy fire. Bleeding profusely, he managed to drag another wounded radio operator to cover before losing consciousness. Recovering a few moments later, he called for aerial rocket artillery fire, and stood up in the fire-swept field to direct the aircraft in silencing the enemy positions which had been placing effective fire on his unit. Advised that another commander would soon replace him, Captain Mayer refused to be evacuated until the battle had been won. While medical aidmen were tending to his wounds, he continued to strengthen his tenuous foothold against the desperate enemy. Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, Captain Mayer, although in dire need of medical treatment, crawled up and down the lines to encourage his men and direct their movements. Three times that afternoon when the enemy tried unsuccessfully to counterattack, Captain Mayer personally led spoiling attacks which resulted in further strengthening his own positions. All during the night, Captain Mayer, obviously suffering from his wounds, repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to best control his unit. The following morning, he led his company through the mop-up operation, allowing himself to be evacuated only after the victory was complete. In thirty hours of combat, Company B, through Captain Mayer’s gallantry and disregard for his own safety, defeated a numerically superior enemy force while sustaining only two men killed in action. Captain Mayer’s courageous action is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.