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 Major (Infantry) Ola Lee Mize, United States Army, for gallantry in action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. Major Mize distinguished himself while serving with Detachment B-36, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces, as Joint Commander of the 3d Mobile Strike Force Command during operations against enemy supply routes in Phuoc Long Province, on 2 to 3 September 1969. When one strike force battalion had encountered a large, well-manned enemy bunker complex and became pinned down by heavy suppressive fire, Major Mize moved a second strike force battalion into the conflict area to assist its sister unit. The combined firepower of the two allied forces enabled the first, besieged battalion to pull back and evacuate its wounded, but the second, supporting battalion had become so heavily engaged with the enemy that it could not itself disengage. With no other units under his command to commit to the action, and unable to obtain support from other friendly ground forces, Major Mize immediately put together a provisional reaction force from headquarters personnel, security forces, and other elements of his forward operating base. He then inserted these disparate elements by helicopter into the area of operation and led them overland toward the position of the beleaguered battalion. After an arduous march across extremely rough jungle terrain, Major Mize finally linked his reaction force at dusk with the embattled battalion. Assuming command of all the allied elements under intense enemy fire, Major Mize expeditiously reorganized his forces, reinforced his defensive perimeter, and prepared the dead and wounded for helicopter evacuation at dawn. At first light in the morning, the allies’ defensive perimeter was being probed by enemy elements maneuvering under barrages of mortar cover fire. Despite the intensity of hostile fire, Major Mize initiated the evacuation of the battalion and its dead and wounded. He secured the helicopter pick-up area with his provisional force and successfully beat off several vicious ground attacks by the enemy force. He then marched his reaction troops thirteen kilometers to a landing zone secured by United States forces and there saw their safe extraction by helicopter. Major Mize’s gallantry in action was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.