The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Gene E. Castagnetti (MCSN: 0-31285536), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Commanding Officer of Company B, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 9 June 1969, Company B was participating in a combat operations when near the village of An Bang, one of the Marines observed four North Vietnamese Army soldiers at the entrance to a bunker and opened fire upon the men. Immediately the company came under a heavy volume of small arms and automatic weapons fire from an estimated hostile battalion occupying well-concealed emplacements. Reacting instantly, Captain Castagnetti initiated an aggressive assault upon the village and its surrounding fortifications and undaunted by the enemy rounds impacting about him, exhorted his men to greater efforts as he skillfully maneuvered them toward the North Vietnamese emplacements. Throughout the ensuing fierce engagement, Captain Castagnetti completely disregarded his own safety to direct the fire of his men as they inflicted numerous casualties upon the hostile force and wore down its resistance. With seemingly tireless persistence, he fearlessly pressed the advance until his men were able to overrun the objective and drive the enemy from the defensive complex. Determined to exploit the hostile contact to the maximum, he then directed fire from gunships overhead upon the exposed enemy soldiers, forcing them into a disorganized rout and effectively preventing a counter-attack. His heroic and bold efforts inspired all who observed him and resulted in eighty North Vietnamese soldiers kill in addition to the seizure of numerous weapons and documents containing information of intelligence value, while sustaining only minimal Marine casualties. By his courage, dynamic leadership and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, Captain Castagnetti contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his unit’s mission and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.