The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lance Corporal Robbie Leavorn Epps (MCSN: 2334217), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Company A, First Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 6 February 1968, Lance Corporal Epps was leading a squad to reinforce two other squads that had become heavily engaged with a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force entrenched in a tree line near the village of La Chau (2) in Quang Nam Province. Arriving in the battle area, he observed the beleaguered Marines in an open rice paddy under heavy enemy mortar, rocket, small arms and automatic weapons fire. Immediately assessing the situation, Lance Corporal Epps displayed exceptional leadership and sound tactical judgment as he skillfully maneuvered his men into effective fighting positions and began directing a heavy volume of fire against the hostile force. Aggressively leading his men to an intermediate objective, he quickly established a defensive perimeter. When enemy fire destroyed his radio, disrupting communications with another reaction force moving to his position, Lance Corporal Epps completely disregarded his own safety as he ran 400 meters across open terrain in the face of extremely heavy North Vietnamese fire to reach the reaction platoon. After coordinating subsequent plans for action with the platoon leader, he courageously returned through the fire-swept zone to his squad where he immediately organized them for the evacuation of the Marine casualties under cover of the reaction platoon’s suppressive fire. Posting security, he then began delivering fire with his M-79 grenade launcher, killing one North Vietnamese sniper. Continually moving from one position to another to fire his grenade launcher, he repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire to encourage his men, directing their fire and supervise the extraction of the casualties. Ignoring the danger to his own life, he advanced on six separate occasions into the fire-swept rice paddy to suppress enemy fire and succeeded in destroying two North Vietnamese sniper positions and a hostile mortar site. In addition to eighteen enemy confirmed killed and twenty-seven probable killed by the coordinated action, his unit captured a B-40 rocket launcher with two rounds, numerous enemy weapons and supplies and valuable intelligence material. By his bold initiative, steadfast courage and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk, Lance Corporal Epps inspired all who observed him, contributed materially to the accomplishment of the hazardous mission and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.