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Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam
General Orders No. 1310 (April 15, 1969)
CITATION FOR THE
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS
CITATION:
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 Sergeant First Class James L. Edwards (ASN: RA-53085482), 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 B, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3d Brigade, 82d Airborne Division.
Platoon Sergeant Edwards distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 26 August 1968 as First Sergeant of his company while it was on a search and destroy mission in Nam Hoa District, Thua Thien Province. During a battle with a well-entrenched enemy force, Sergeant Edwards was directed to take command of a platoon which was heavily engaged with the communists. Braving a hail of bullets, he reached the platoon and discovered that the point squad and platoon sergeant had become separated by the initial burst of hostile fire and were trapped in the enemy killing zone. He quickly reorganized the platoon to bring maximum fire power against the foe, and then crawled alone to the beleaguered element. Finding the point squad out of ammunition and about to be overrun, he placed heavy fire on the communists, single-handedly forcing them back and enabling the squad to withdraw. When his comrades had reached the defensive perimeter, he crawled back and continued to expose himself to the hostile barrage for the next three hours to direct his men. When another platoon managed to reach the rear of the enemy, he led an attack making a one-man assault on the first fortification which blocked his troops' advance and killed its two occupants with hand grenades. After he had destroyed a second bunker with hand grenades and annihilated both its defenders with rifle fire, his men stood up and overran the enemy positions.
Platoon Sergeant Edwards' 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. |
