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 Staff Sergeant Roger Zimmerman (ASN: RA-28272224), United States Army, for gallantry in action. Staff Sergeant Zimmerman distinguished himself by extraordinary gallantry in the Republic of Vietnam on 10 May 1968, while serving as weapons squad leader for the 3d Platoon, Company B, 3d Battalion (Airborne), 503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate). On the above date, Company B was conducting a combat operation in the vicinity of Bong Son, when the third platoon made heavy contact with a large North Vietnamese force. Upon making contact with the enemy, Sergeant Zimmerman immediately began maneuvering his machine guns forward in order to provide covering fire for the rest of the platoon. When one of his machine gunners was hit and seriously wounded, Sergeant Zimmerman quickly took over the gun and kept up the fire. When both of the machine guns were in a good position, he had the assistant gunner take over the gun and he began maneuvering forward to the position of his platoon leader, who was seriously wounded. Armed only with a shotgun, Sergeant Zimmerman moved to the flank of his platoon leader, continuously exposing himself to the enemy in order to draw fire away from the wounded officer. While doing this, he was shot and seriously wounded in the left shoulder. In spite of his wound, he got to his feet and began assaulting the line of enemy bunkers. He destroyed the first bunker by killing two enemy soldiers with a blast from his shotgun. He then continued to the next bunker, where he killed two more enemy soldiers, but was himself shot and mortally wounded. Sergeant Zimmerman’s extraordinary heroism at the cost of his own life was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.