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 Specialist Fourth Class Herman Lee Brown, 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 L (Ranger), 75th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), on 11 January 1970. Specialist Fourth Class Brown distinguished himself while serving as a member of a five-man Ranger Team operating in Quang Tri Province. During a rest break, four enemy soldiers were detected as they approached the team’s perimeter. Waiting until the enemy soldiers drew near, Specialist Brown detonated a claymore mine and killed all of them. Other enemy troops placed intense small arms fire on the team from concealed positions. Specialist Brown discovered that the Team Leader and Assistant Team Leader were both critically wounded by the enemy’s onslaught. He rushed through enemy fire across the perimeter and administered first aid to both wounded men. Taking command, Specialist Brown called for an extraction helicopter. When he learned that rescue helicopters could not penetrate the dense jungle canopy, Specialist Brown exposed himself to enemy fire as he rushed about thirty meters to an open location where he felled several large trees to provide a landing zone for the rescue helicopters. He returned to his team’s position and making two trips, carried both wounded men to the extraction zone. As the rescue helicopter hovered about two meters above the ground in full view of the enemy and under intense fire, Specialist Brown lashed the critically wounded team leader to the helicopter’s skids. In the same manner, the second wounded man was extracted. On the helicopter’s third trip, Specialist Brown provided cover fire while his two other comrades grasped the skids and were extracted. As Specialist Brown was being extracted, an estimated twenty-five man enemy force swarmed over the team’s former position. Specialist Fourth Class Brown’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.