The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lance Corporal John Bishop Wheeler, III (MCSN: 2164264), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Machine Gun Team Leader with Company K, Third Battalion, First Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Rein.), FMF, in connection with combat operations against insurgent communist (Viet Cong) forces in the Republic of Vietnam. During the early morning hours on 15 January 1967, Lance Corporal Wheeler’s platoon was attacked by a numerically superior Viet Cong force, estimated to be of battalion size. Armed with small arms, automatic weapons, hand grenades and satchel charges, the enemy launched a three-pronged human wave assault and succeeded in penetration of a portion of the defensive perimeter. When his machine gun experienced several malfunctions during the ensuing fire fight, Lance Corporal Wheeler, with complete disregard for his own safety, moved through intense enemy fire to another machine gun position. Finding that the position had been destroyed by an explosive charge, he unhesitatingly picked up a wounded Marine and a machine gun and proceeded back through the heavy automatic weapons fire, placing the wounded Marine in a position of relative safety to await medical attention. Fearlessly, Lance Corporal Wheeler returned to his original position, set up the machine gun and delivered an intense volume of fire into the advancing enemy. Although suffering from a painful fragmentation wound, he once again left his position and braved the heavy fire in order to kill a Viet Cong soldier who was throwing hand grenades into the Marine positions. As the fire fight subsided, Lance Corporal Wheeler assisted in the evacuation of the wounded, refusing treatment for his own wound until his fellow Marines had received medical attention. In large measure due to Lance Corporal Wheeler’s heroic actions, the lives of many of his comrades were saved, a numerically superior enemy force was successfully repelled and sixty-one Viet Cong were confirmed killed. By his courageous actions, aggressive fighting spirit and selfless devotion to duty throughout, Lance Corporal Wheeler upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.