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 Specialist Fourth Class Kenyon Gary Wellman (ASN: US-54441015), 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, 22d Infantry, 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. Specialist Four Wellman distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 22 December 1967 while serving as a member of a combat patrol on a search and destroy mission near Dau Tieng. His patrol was maneuvering through dense jungle when it was savagely ambushed by a Viet Cong force in well-fortified positions. Specialist Wellman was pinned down at the front of his unit by intense enemy automatic weapons fire, and many of his nearby comrades were killed or wounded. Despite bullets striking all around him, he ignored his own safety, moved among the wounded, and administered first aid. The lethal hostile fire continued relentlessly, and Specialist Wellman realized that in order to save his patrol from annihilation, the Viet Cong bunker directly to his front would have to be silenced. He crawled to where a machine gunner had been killed, grabbed the machine gun and single-handedly assaulted the enemy position. He charged through the underbrush laying down a concentrated barrage on the insurgent fortification. His one-man attack was momentarily halted when he was struck to the ground by a burst of enemy fire. Very seriously wounded but knowing the lives of his fellow soldiers depended on the destruction of the Viet Cong bunker, he stood up and continued his gallant assault through a curtain of fire. When only a few feet from the enemy position, he was hit again by a hail of bullets and instantly killed. Specialist Four Wellman’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.