The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel Frank Leon Bourne, Jr. (MCSN: 0-52717), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Commanding Officer, Third Battalion, Fourth Marines, THIRD Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 10 June 1968, the Third Battalion was helicopter lifted into an assigned area near the Khe Sanh Combat Base and commenced a search and destroy operation. Although wounded on 12 June 1968, following initial contact with the enemy, Lieutenant Colonel Bourne continued to exercise firm control of his battalion. Employing his men as a blocking force and flank security for a regimental operation near Phou Nhoi, he immediately initiated an aggressive series of combat patrols dispatched from the battalion’s defensive position. During the early morning hours of 15 June, an estimated reinforced battalion of North Vietnamese soldiers, supported by intense mortar and rocket fire, attacked and penetrated his unit’s defense perimeter. Quickly assessing the situation, Lieutenant Colonel Bourne skillfully adjusted supporting arms fire to within fifty meters of the perimeter and deployed a reaction force to seal off the penetration, thereby defeating the enemy with a minimum of friendly casualties. For two days, he continued to employ offensive patrols to seek out the enemy while continually reinforcing and improving his battalion’s defenses. On the morning of 18 June, when another large enemy force attacked his position, Lieutenant Colonel Bourne, without regard for his own safety, boldly moved throughout the hazardous area, encouraging his men and directing a determined counter attack which forced the enemy to flee. Subsequently, while his unit was preparing to be helicopter lifted to another area, the landing zone came under enemy artillery attack. Undaunted by the intense fire, Lieutenant Colonel Bourne moved throughout the hazardous area maintaining control over the critical situation and expediting the extraction of his men with a minimum of casualties. His heroic actions and resolute determination inspired all who observed him and were instrumental in his battalion accounting for 347 North Vietnamese soldiers killed. By his courage, aggressive fighting spirit and steadfast devotion to duty at great personal risk, Lieutenant Colonel Bourne upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.