The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Kenneth W. Jensen, United States Army, for gallantry in action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. On 15 February 1968, Lieutenant Jensen was serving as a Platoon Leader with Company D, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, during a reconnaissance in force operation approximately three kilometers southwest of the village of Thu Duc. As the unit proceeded through an area of rice fields and coconut groves, part of his platoon was forced to take cover from sudden hostile rocket, automatic weapons, and machine gun fire. He immediately moved through the hail of enemy rounds to deploy his remaining squad into advantageous positions from which they brought accurate retaliatory fire upon the insurgents. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Lieutenant Jensen began crawling beneath the hostile fire toward a wounded man on the enemy side of a berm. As he attempted to rescue the individual, he became hit in the chest by enemy fire and was unable to help the man. Lieutenant Jensen then placed rapid and accurate fire on the insurgents from his location while others moved the casualty to relative safety. He was again hit by the intense fire, but refused medical attention until he had led his men in a withdrawal so that artillery fire could be employed. The extraordinary courage and dynamic leadership displayed by Lieutenant Jensen despite his wounds were instrumental in limiting friendly casualties, and significantly contributed toward the defeat of the Viet Cong. First Lieutenant Jensen’s unquestionable valor in close combat against numerically superior hostile forces is in keeping with the finest tradition of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.