The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Corporal Clinton W. Thompson (MCSN: 2434938), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism on 13 and 14 March 1969 as a squad leader/platoon sergeant in Company M, Third Battalion, Fourth Marines, THIRD Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, during operations against an armed enemy eleven miles north of Khe Sanh, Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam. When his platoon was pinned down by extremely intense hostile fire during an assault on a well-entrenched enemy position consisting of reinforced bunkers, Corporal Thompson maneuvered through the barrage of hostile fire, located the exact positions of the enemy emplacements, and launched a single-handed assault on the enemy bunkers, using fragmentation grenades to destroy the positions and utilizing the rest of the squad in providing an effective base of fire. During a period of over one-half hour, he made repeated trips down an exposed slope to replenish his supply of grenades. During his daring assault, he destroyed three enemy bunkers, along with their occupants, following which the remainder of his platoon was able to maneuver around the enemy and secure the objective. On the following day, when the enemy counterattacked the company’s position, concentrating on Corporal Thompson’s platoon and forcing his men to withdraw, Corporal Thompson assumed the billet of platoon sergeant when that leader was wounded, rallied his men and led the assault to recapture the position, following the removal of the wounded to a safe area. It was during this period that an enemy bunker began to deliver fire on Corporal Thompson and his men. Once again, he personally assaulted the position with grenades, destroying the bunker and three occupants. He then organized his platoon and instilled in his men the courage and aggressiveness needed to seize the objective and subsequently hold it under a heavy enemy counterattack. Corporal Thompson’s outstanding personal valor, leadership, and dedication were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.