The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Frank E. Diaz (MCSN: 2110609), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company E, First Reconnaissance Battalion, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 14 June 1970, an eight-man patrol from Company E became heavily engaged in combat with a North Vietnamese Army force of approximately thirty soldiers shortly after being heli-lifted into an enemy infiltration area south of DaNang. Reacting instantly, Sergeant Diaz quickly deployed his men into effective fighting positions and, after establishing a defensive perimeter which ensured firepower in all directions, maneuvered from one Marine to another to encourage his men and pinpoint hostile targets. Realizing that his position was untenable because of the augmentation of the enemy force by additional soldiers and not wishing to incur excessive Marine casualties, he then requested an extraction helicopter. During the ensuing vicious fire fight, the hostile unit, utilizing a profusion of hand grenades and intense automatic weapons fire advanced to the proximity of the defensive perimeter several times but, under Sergeant Diaz’s inspiring leadership, the team successfully repulsed the assaults, and he personally killed several enemy soldiers within a few feet of his emplacements. With the arrival of the extraction helicopter overhead, he then fearlessly braved the hostile fusillade and moved to a dangerously exposed vantage point from which, in full view of the enemy, he skillfully directed the aircraft to a suitable landing site. As the team commenced embarking, the North Vietnamese Army unit launched a final, desperate attack upon both the helicopter and the Marines but Sergeant Diaz, seemingly heedless of the hostile rounds impacting all around him, boldly stood in the clearing and provided covering fire until all his men were safely aboard and, after he had embarked himself, stood in the open doorway and continued firing until the aircraft was safely out of range of enemy fire. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, Sergeant Diaz minimized Marine casualties and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.