The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Private First Class Michael Edward Hopkins (MCSN: 2037164), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as an Automatic Rifleman with Company K, Third Battalion, Ninth Marines, THIRD Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in the Republic of Vietnam on 4 July 1966. During a search and destroy operation, the company was taken under heavy small-arms, automatic-weapons, and 57-mm. recoilless rifle fire from a numerically superior Viet Cong force. When an LVT was hit by a 57-mm. recoilless rifle round, Private First Class Hopkins immediately ran through the hail of small-arms fire to aid the injured crew. After he had helped remove the injured men from the LVT, he and three other Marines were sent to a forward position in order to give covering fire. As the ammunition ran low, Private First Class Hopkins repeatedly exposed himself to heavy enemy fire as he ran across open ground to the supply point. After his sixth trip, he saw his squad leader fall from wounds. Although exhausted from the heat and carrying ammunition, he courageously exposed himself again to heavy incoming fire in order to administer immediate first aid to his squad leader. As he was treating the wounded Marine, he noticed a Corpsman attempting to maneuver to his position. Seizing his rifle once again, he began giving covering fire to enable the Corpsman to attain his objective. Seconds after the Corpsman reached the location an enemy rifle grenade exploded nearby killing the squad leader and wounding the Corpsman. Realizing that the enemy fire was too intense for anyone to come to their aid, Private First Class Hopkins, in a final valiant act of complete self-sacrifice, deliberately exposed himself in an effort to direct attention away from the wounded, absorbing with his own body the full force of the deadly enemy fire. Through his extraordinary loyalty and initiative in the face of almost certain death, he saved his comrades from further injury and possible loss of life, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.