The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to First Lieutenant Craig A. Edwards (MCSN: 0-110222), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism on 20 August 1970 while serving as Commanding Officer of Company H, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam. After leading a relief force to the site of a beleaguered combat patrol unit which had sustained three casualties, including the platoon commander, First Lieutenant Edwards braved the intense, hostile, automatic-weapons fire to move to a forward position. Here he observed four of his own men lying wounded in an area dangerously close to one of the enemy’s machine-gun emplacements. Although enemy soldiers concentrated their fire on him as he raced toward the emplacement, he managed to hurl three grenades into the enemy position, destroying the emplacement along with its occupants. Pinned down by fire from another hostile position before he could administer first aid to his four wounded comrades, First Lieutenant Edwards, upon observing a grenade land in proximity to the casualties, succeeded in kicking it to one side and jumped in front of his companions to protect them from the blast. Despite a painful leg wound caused by fragments from the exploding grenade, he proceeded to hack a path to the river, returned to his position and, assisted by a Corpsman, carried the most seriously wounded man one hundred meters upstream in the face of enemy fire to a designated landing zone. He then returned with the Corpsman and carried a second casualty up the river to safety, following which he directed the evacuation of all remaining casualties before weakness from loss of blood forced his own removal to a medical facility. By his indomitable courage, determined fighting spirit, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Edwards was directly instrumental in saving the lives of several of his fellow Marines, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.