The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant Albert Alexander Banuelos, Jr. (ASN: 56705333), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as a Rifleman in Company C, 2d Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during combat operations in the vicinity of Trang Bang, Republic of Vietnam, on 19 September 1968. On that date, Company C moved on a reconnaissance in force mission. The first platoon was taken under heavy automatic weapons and small arms fire by an unknown-size enemy force. In the initial burst, the lead man was seriously wounded. Sergeant Banuelos, seeing his comrade lying completely exposed in an open field some hundred meters to his front, ignoring the warning of his fellow soldiers and oblivious to the intense enemy fire, started moving toward the wounded man, but as he started back to the safety of his own line with the wounded man, he was mortally wounded by an enemy bullet. Sergeant Banuelos’ courageous and self-sacrificing actions inspired his comrades as they assaulted the enemy position and completely routed the insurgents. His extraordinary heroism in close combat 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.