The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Gunnery Sergeant Charles R. Horton (MCSN: 662527), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with Company D, 11th Engineer Battalion, THIRD Marine Division in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. In addition to serving as the Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of a sixty-eight man engineer contingent assigned to clear fields of fire around Marine positions at Con Thien in Quang Tri Province, gunnery Sergeant Horton commanded a platoon size reaction force composed of engineer equipment operators, mechanics and miscellaneous engineer personnel. During the early morning hours of 8 May 1967, an estimated force of two reinforced battalions of North Vietnamese Army Regulars launched a night assault against Con Thien, directing their main thrust against the sector defended by Company D, First Battalion, Fourth Marines and overrunning several positions and inflicting numerous casualties. Reacting immediately, Gunnery Sergeant Horton led his reaction force from their protected positions fifty meters across an airstrip to the trench lines of Company D, some of which were occupied by enemy sappers throwing satchel charges. Displaying exceptional composure under fire, he placed his men in effective firing positions and directed their fire on the enemy in and around the trench line. Seeing an unmanned 81-mm. mortar, he quickly moved to the position, adjusted the weapon and began delivering accurate fire into the area of the greatest enemy concentration. Moving continually between the mortar position and the trench lines, he encouraged his men and directed their action against the North Vietnamese. Upon discovering that two of the enemy had infiltrated behind the mortar pit and were throwing grenades, he quickly killed them both. After the enemy assault had been repulsed, Gunnery Sergeant Horton led a fire team beyond the perimeter wire to ensure that there were no enemy forces remaining in the trenches hastily prepared by the North Vietnamese prior to their assault. When the Marines were met by a hand grenade thrown from one of the trenches, Gunnery Sergeant Horton killed the enemy attacker and then directed his men to throw grenades in the other trenches, killing three more North Vietnamese. By his fearless leadership, dauntless courage and unwavering devotion to duty at great personal risk, Gunnery Sergeant Horton upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.