The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Second Lieutenant Philip Stuart Menagh (MCSN: 0-103686), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company F, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against insurgent communist (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam. On 22 March 1968, during Operation WORTH in Quang Nam Province, Second Lieutenant Menagh’s platoon suddenly came under heavy small arms, automatic weapons and rocket fire from an enemy ambush force, wounding several Marines and temporarily pinning down the platoon. Completely disregarding his own safety, he unhesitatingly moved across the fire-swept area to the point of heaviest contact to maneuver his men into effective firing positions, supervise the care of the wounded and direct a heavy volume of fire against the hostile emplacements. He then led his men in an aggressive attack against the enemy positions. When he located a hostile emplacement that had temporarily slowed the advance, he assaulted the position single handed, armed only with a pistol and hand grenades, killing four enemy soldiers. Inspired by his heroic actions, his men successfully assaulted through the ambush, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy, capturing numerous weapons and forcing the remainder of the hostile soldiers to flee. By his courage, bold leadership and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk, Second Lieutenant Menagh was instrumental in the accomplishment of his unit’s mission and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.