The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Henry James McDonald Radcliffe (MCSN: 0-81002), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Assistant Operations Officer with the First Battalion, Ninth Marines, THIRD Marine Division, in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. While conducting a search and destroy mission northeast of Con Thien on 2 July 1967, Company B suddenly came under heavy artillery, mortar, small arms and automatic weapons fire from a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force that surrounded the unit. During the ensuing battle, the Company Commander was killed and most of the officers and men were either killed or wounded. Directed to assume command of Company B, Captain Radcliffe displayed exceptional leadership, tactical skill and courage as he expeditiously led an Infantry platoon with supporting tanks to the beleaguered company. Quickly assessing the situation when he arrived on the battlefield, he immediately secured a landing zone with the men of his relief platoon, despite incoming artillery and mortar rounds from hostile positions. After regrouping the survivors of Company B, he organized a recovery party and skillfully deployed his tanks and men as he advanced into the fire fight zone, aggressively moving in front of his men to better control their actions and covering fire against North Vietnamese positions. Undaunted by the intense hostile fire, he completely disregarded his own safety as he moved to the company’s farthest point of advance to recover all the casualties and their weapons and equipment and place them on the tanks. Lacking space on the vehicles for all the equipment and arms, he directed that those items remaining be destroyed in order to prevent their capture by the enemy. Organizing the rear guard to provide covering fire for the recovery force as they moved to the landing zone, he narrowly escaped death from an anti-tank round while he was directing the fire and movement of his men. Arriving in the landing zone, Captain Radcliffe supervised the rapid evacuation of the casualties while still under heavy mortar and artillery fire. He then disengaged with the North Vietnamese and returned to Con Thien with the survivors. His heroic actions undoubtedly were instrumental in saving numerous Marine lives and in the recovery of forty wounded Marines and the bodies of seventeen killed. By his courageous leadership, bold initiative and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk, Captain Radcliffe inspired all who observed him and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.