The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Corporal Orlando Stanislao Capozzoli (MCSN: 2022090), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Squad Leader with Company M, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with operations against insurgent communist (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam, on 21 April 1966. During a search and destroy mission in Operation HOT SPRINGS, Corporal Capozzoli’s platoon was assigned to assault a hamlet in the vicinity of Khanh My (3), Quang Ngai Province, which was defended by a Viet Cong force of estimated company strength possessing assorted small arms, automatic weapons, machine guns and mortars. During the assault, Corporal Capozzoli provided fire with his M-79 until he had expended all his ammunition. Soon thereafter, his squad was pinned down by the fire of a thirty caliber machine gun. Locating the emplacement and armed only with a pistol, Corporal Capozzoli immediately made a one-man assault. Although painfully wounded, he jumped into the gun emplacement and killed one Viet Cong, then engaged a second in hand-to-hand combat, subdued and shot him. Crawling from the hole, Corporal Capozzoli attempted to removed the enemy machine gun, but collapsed from loss of blood and was evacuated. His immediate courageous action and aggressive determination undoubtedly saved the lives of his fellow Marines and contributed greatly to the successful attack which lefty thirty-one Viet Cong killed. By his courageous devotion to duty in the face of tremendous personal danger, Corporal Capozzoli upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.