The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Second Lieutenant William J. Peters, Jr. (MCSN: 0-107002), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as Assistant Patrol Leader with the First Force Reconnaissance Company, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 12 April 1969, Second Lieutenant Peters was Assistant Patrol Leader for an eight-man reconnaissance patrol operating in Quang Nam Province. After the team deployed, it came under a heavy volume of small arms and automatic weapons fire from approximately forty well-concealed North Vietnamese Army soldiers, temporarily pinning down the Marines and forcing the helicopter to leave. As the enemy began to advance, Second Lieutenant Peters assisted the team leader in establishing his men in a defensive perimeter. Alertly observing two approaching hostile soldiers, he directed his men to lay down an effective base of fire while two Marines maneuvered forward and threw hand grenades at the enemy, and killed one of them. Continuing to deliver accurate fire upon the enemy, Second Lieutenant Peters temporarily suppressed the hostile attack until the extraction helicopter arrived and the enemy made a final determined effort to overrun the patrol. Fearlessly exposing himself to the enemy, he placed himself between the attackers and the helicopter and fired into their ranks, killing one. Then, throwing hand grenades at the advancing enemy force, he forced them to take cover long enough to enable his team to board the aircraft without sustaining one casualty. His bold initiative and timely actions inspired all who observed him and were instrumental in ensuring the safe extraction of his patrol. By his courage, aggressive fighting spirit and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of great personal danger, Second Lieutenant Peters contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his unit’s mission and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.