The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Michael Lee Dewlen (MCSN: 0-102756), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Fire Direction Officer of Battery C, First Battalion, Twelfth Marines, THIRD Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. In the early morning hours of 11 June 1968, Battery C was occupying a defensive position near Khe Sanh when the Marines suddenly came under a heavy volume of mortar, small arms and automatic weapons fire supporting an aggressive assault by a company size North Vietnamese Army force. Upon learning that the enemy unit had penetrated his battery’s perimeter, Second Lieutenant Dewlen unhesitatingly left his position of relative safety and rapidly assembled several Marines to assist him in blocking the enemy’s advance. Fearlessly maneuvering his small group of men across the fire-swept terrain in an aggressive and determined counterattack against the advancing hostile soldiers, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy rounds and explosive devices impacting near him while he directed devastating fire against the hostile force. Despite the intense enemy fire now concentrated on his small unit, Second Lieutenant Dewlen continued to skillfully lead his men in fierce close combat until he was mortally wounded. His timely actions and aggressive fighting spirit were instrumental in accounting for twenty-eight enemy killed and enabled his unit to organize a counterattack which forced the North Vietnamese soldiers to withdraw. By his courage, superior leadership and steadfast devotion to duty, Second Lieutenant Dewlen minimized the effectiveness of the hostile attack and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.