The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant (Infantry) Richard Judson Seibert (ASN: 0-5338151), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company D, 3d Battalion, 21st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade (Light) (Separate). Second Lieutenant Seibert distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 8 January 1968 while serving as platoon leader of an infantry unit during a search and clear operation in the Que Son Valley. Shortly after noon, his platoon was heavily attacked by an enemy force firing from a treeline. With bullets striking all around him, Lieutenant Seibert unhesitantly led a fierce attack on the hostile positions. His men became pinned down by a withering hail of bullets, and he crawled forward alone and destroyed one position with well-placed grenades. Intense machine gun fire raked his position from the flank, and he fearlessly directed his assault on the second Viet Cong emplacement. After crossing a river, he charged the fortification across an open rice paddy. He quickly reached a low dike and hurled two grenades into the machine gun nest which demolished the weapon and killed its crew. He repeatedly exposed himself to enemy weapons to draw fire away from his men and allow them to join the attack. When it became evident that his unit was surrounded, Lieutenant Seibert rallied his men to fight their way through the insurgents’ lines. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he led a furious charge into a curtain of enemy fire to break through the encirclement. He was mortally wounded while gallantly leading his men against heavy odds in the heat of battle. Second Lieutenant Seibert’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.