The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Infantry) William Joseph Mullen, III (ASN: 0-87282), 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 C, 1st Battalion, 2d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Captain Mullen distinguished himself on 25 August 1966 while serving as a company commanding officer during a combat operation in Binh Duong Province. when a long range reconnaissance patrol discovered the perimeter defense of a Viet Cong battalion, it immediately received intense hostile fire, sustained casualties and radioed for reinforcements. Captain Mullen’s company and a platoon from another company were immediately dispatched to the aid of the reconnaissance team. As the combined armor and infantry reaction force neared the objective, they received intense hostile fire from a Viet Cong force entrenched in an interconnecting bunker and trench network. During the initial assault, the outnumbered American units sustained numerous casualties, including the entire command group except Captain Mullen. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Captain Mullen fearlessly moved around the perimeter to organize and coordinate the evacuation of the wounded and to assure effective command and communication links were maintained. Observing that there was mortar ammunition in a partially destroyed armored personnel carrier, he moved forward of the perimeter and recovered the vital ammunition. Captain Mullen continued to expose himself as he resupplied a forward machine gun emplacement which was critically low on ammunition. When an armored carrier exploded and filled an occupied trench with burning fuel, Captain Mullen extracted a soldier trapped by the fire and burning debris. In the early afternoon after a unit had lost its commander and was in danger of being overrun, Captain Mullen moved fully exposed to the front of the unit and led the in attack. After assisting and directing the evacuation of the wounded from the heart of the battle, Captain Mullen organized the remainder of his command. When darkness approached, he personally directed his diminishing force of approximately 20 men into an expanded perimeter that closed within 50 meters of the Viet Cong emplacements. Despite numerous friendly casualties, Captain Mullen maintained battle discipline and effectively reestablished the chain of command when reinforcements and the new battalion commander arrived. In the final moments of the battle, Captain Mullen led his drastically diminished units in an assault that completely overran and destroyed the Viet Cong fortifications in his sector. Through his courage and outstanding leadership, he converted a potentially disastrous situation into a decisive victory. Captain Mullen’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.