The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Hospital Corpsman Third Class Nicholas C. Tarzia (NSN: 6941016), United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Corpsman with the Second Platoon of Company E, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines, THIRD Marine Division, in action on 8 August 1966, in connection with military operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. During Operation PRAIRIE, Hospital Corpsman Tarzia’s platoon was assigned the mission of supporting a reconnaissance team during its retraction from a helicopter landing zone in the Thong Son Lam Throng area. After the linkup with the team was accomplished and twenty Marines had been lifted out by helicopter, the remaining twenty-one Marines were surrounded and attacked by a reinforced North Vietnamese company. The Marines were low on ammunition and repeated attempts to re-supply or reinforce them met with failure in the face of heavy enemy automatic weapons fire, rockets and grenades. The numerically superior enemy force threatened to overrun the Marines but they repelled repeated vicious enemy assaults in the ensuing fourteen hour battle. With complete disregard for his own safety, Hospital Corpsman Tarzia repeatedly moved through withering enemy fire to aid the wounded. On one occasion, he raced twenty meters across open ground to assist the Company Commander who had been wounded. When his first aid pack was blown away by enemy fire, he used his own clothing for bandages as he treated and comforted the casualties. After he had completely exhausted all available first aid materials and could be of no further assistance to the wounded, he gallantly helped defend his disabled comrades by manning a position on the defensive perimeter. His courageous and selfless actions undoubtedly saved numerous lives. By his exceptional professional skill under the most adverse conditions, resourcefulness and loyal devotion to duty at great personal risk, Hospital Corpsman Tarzia upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.