The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Chief Warrant Officer (WO-1) Carlos E. Quintero, United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Warrant Officer Quintero distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 10 May 1970 while serving as a Pilot with the Aviation Section of the 196th Infantry Brigade. On that date, Warrant Officer Quintero was flying a Light Observation Helicopter on a visual reconnaissance mission in support of a friendly ground unit north of Tam Ky. Arriving on station, he made numerous low level passes over the enemy infested terrain to locate hostile positions. Alertly spotting several North Vietnamese Army soldiers, he informed the friendly ground unit of their position and began to clear the area when his ship came under intense volumes of hostile automatic weapons fire. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Warrant Officer Quintero skillfully maneuvered his aircraft in order to provide his gunner with an advantageous firing position to effectively engage the insurgents. Ignoring the danger involved, he held the helicopter at a hover above the hostile force, enabling the ship’s gunner to place devastating volumes of suppressive fire onto the insurgents. Utilizing gunship support, Warrant Officer Quintero unhesitatingly landed in order to capture several wounded enemy soldiers and retrieve a quantity of abandoned equipment. Braving a heavy concentration of hostile fire, he kept his helicopter on the ground until the prisoners and material were placed aboard. Through his timely and courageous actions, Warrant Officer Quintero was instrumental in the success of the operation. His personal heroism, professional competence, and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Americal Division and the United States Army.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Chief Warrant Officer (WO-2) Carlos E. Quintero, United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Chief Warrant Officer Quintero distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 8 June 1970 while serving as a Helicopter Pilot with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 196th Infantry Brigade. On that date, Warrant Officer Quintero was flying in support of friendly ground troops engaged in heavy contact with a well-equipped North Vietnamese Army force. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he unhesitatingly flew his Light Observation Helicopter low over the enemy bunkers to direct friendly fire against them. Despite the heavy volumes of anti-aircraft fire directed at his ship, he marked the hostile positions with smoke. When the friendly ground element was in need of ammunition re-supply, he flew through the hail of enemy rounds to provide his fellow soldiers with the ordnance. Ignoring the danger involved, he maintained the vital functions of extracting friendly casualties and providing important tactical information which led to the total defeat of the enemy force. Through his timely and courageous actions, he contributed greatly to the overall success of the mission. Chief Warrant Officer Quintero’s personal heroism, professional competence, and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Americal Division and the United States Army.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Third Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Fourth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Chief Warrant Officer (WO-2) Carlos E. Quintero, United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Chief Warrant Officer Quintero distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 12 February 1971 while serving as a Pilot with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 196th Infantry Brigade. On that date, Warrant Officer Quintero flew a Light Observation Helicopter in support of a friendly ground unit in contact with a numerically superior enemy force. Arriving on station, Warrant Officer Quintero made a quick estimate of the tactical situation and repeatedly made low level passes over the hostile terrain in order to provide highly effective fire support for the friendly ground unit until gunships arrived in the area. Displaying outstanding flying skill, he repeatedly braved the devastating enemy barrage at close range to draw the hostile fire away from the friendly unit and to mark the insurgents’ positions with smoke grenades for supporting aircraft. Breaking contact to re-fuel and re-arm, Warrant Officer Quintero unhesitatingly returned to station upon learning of a medical evacuation helicopter meeting heavy resistance. Despite intense volumes of enemy anti-aircraft fire directed at his ship, he repeatedly made firing runs over the hostile emplacements to suppress the insurgents’ fusillade. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Warrant Officer Quintero adroitly maneuvered his ship toward the landing zone with the evacuation aircraft in order to provide cover for the unarmed helicopter. Ignoring the danger involved, he skillfully circled the sister ship while it was on the ground and effectively engaged the enemy amidst heavy concentrations of hostile fire until it had cleared the dangerous pick up zone. Through his timely and courageous actions, Warrant Officer Quintero was instrumental in thwarting the determined enemy’s plans. Chief Warrant Officer Quintero’s personal heroism, professional competence, and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 23d Infantry Division and the United States Army.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Chief Warrant Officer (WO-2) Carlos E. Quintero, United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Chief Warrant Officer Quintero distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 12 June 1970 while serving as a Helicopter Pilot with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 196th Infantry Brigade. On that date, Warrant Officer Quintero was flying the Command and Control Helicopter in support of a friendly ground unit in contact with an unknown size North Vietnamese Army force. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he adroitly maneuvered his ship over the enemy-infested terrain amidst intense volumes of hostile fire in order to direct the friendly element’s assault. Displaying outstanding flying skill, Warrant Officer Quintero flew his ship through the enemy barrage to engage key hostile emplacements until supporting gunships arrived on station. Continuing to expose his aircraft to the enemy anti-aircraft fire, he unhesitatingly maneuvered low over the insurgents to mark their position with smoke grenades for the helicopter gunship strikes. Ignoring the danger involved, Warrant Officer Quintero volunteered to land on the battlefield on several occasions in order to re-supply the friendly element with ammunition and to evacuate wounded personnel. Through his timely and courageous actions, he was instrumental in defeating the determined enemy force and minimizing friendly casualties. Chief Warrant Officer Quintero’s personal heroism, professional competence, and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Americal Division and the United States Army.