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) Joseph F. Rutkowski, United States Army, for gallantry in action against an armed hostile force in the Kingdom of Laos. Lieutenant Colonel Rutkowski distinguished himself by intrepid actions on 3 March 1971 while serving as the Commanding Officer withy Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 14th Combat Aviation Battalion, 23d Infantry Division. On that date, Lieutenant Colonel Rutkowski was conducting a visual reconnaissance operation by helicopter near Landing Zone DELTA when he was contacted by the South Vietnamese Army troops on the ground to medically evacuate some seriously wounded personnel. Upon touching down at the landing zone, the whole area came under a heavy barrage of enemy mortar fire. Although his aircraft took several hits due to shrapnel, he held his ship steady until the injured were loaded aboard. He left the landing zone with ten passengers and the crew of four, which heavily overloaded the ship, but due to his professional skill as an aviator, he was able to safely evacuate the wounded to Khe Sanh. He returned to Landing Zone DELTA and called in artillery on the enemy positions. This resulted in the North Vietnamese soldiers breaking the attack and leaving two hundred casualties behind. Through his timely and courageous actions, he contributed greatly to the expeditious defeat of the enemy forces and served as an inspiration to his entire company. Lieutenant Colonel Rutkowski’s personal heroism, professional competence, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 23d Infantry Division, and the United States Army.