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 Second Lieutenant (Infantry) Leonard C. Stahl (ASN: 0-5324855), 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 as American Advisor to the 1st Battalion, 14th Regiment, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. On 25 March 1966, Lieutenant Stahl, while serving as battalion advisor, was accompanying the unit on a mission to secure an outpost that was under construction. When the lead elements of the battalion made sudden unexpected contact with a reinforced Viet Cong company, Lieutenant Stahl, disregarding his own personal safety, moved forward rapidly under intense automatic and small arms fire to ascertain locations and dispositions of the Viet Cong forces. In so doing, he came in direct contact with a Viet Dong squad, killed three immediately, seriously wounding one, and captured another, while the remaining Viet Cong hastily retreated. When he ran out of ammunition, Lieutenant Stahl took ammunition from nearby Vietnamese soldiers who had moved forward to investigate the encounter and he then returned through intense automatic weapons fire being received from the flank to search for his assistant who was missing. After finding him seriously wounded, Lieutenant Stahl without hesitation carried the wounded man across 300 meters of open rice fields being swept with deadly machine gun fire. Lieutenant Stahl then voluntarily returned to the front where he could effectively direct artillery and armed helicopter fire into the prepared hostile positions. Lieutenant Stahl’s courageous actions not only saved the life of his assistant but permitted the battalion to successfully accomplish its mission. Second Lieutenant Stahl’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.