THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
Washington
The President of the United States, takes pride in presenting the
NAVY CROSS to:
SECOND LIEUTENANT RICHARD L. JAEHNE
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following:
CITATION:
For extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Leader with Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine
Division in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 28 August 1969, while
moving through an open rice paddy during a company-sized search and clear operation in the Que Son-Hiep Duc Valley in
Quang Nam Province, Second Lieutanant Jaehne's came under intense mortar, automatic weapons, and small arms fire
from a well-entrenched North Vietnamese Army force. Quickly accessing the situation, he deployed his platoon into firing
positions and launched an aggressive counterattack. During the ensuing firef ight, he repeatedly disregarded his own
safety to gain vantage points from which to direct the fire of his men against one hostile position after another. When one
of his squads was temporarily pinned down by fire from a heavy machine gun, he inched his way through the deep rice
paddy and, in full view of the enemy gunners, destroyed the machine gun with a hand grenade, using his pistol to dispose
of the last of the enemy gunners in the emplacement. Although he has sustained a painful fragmentation wound in the
shoulder and a bullet wound in the hand, Second Lieutenant Jaehne rallied his Marines, retrieved the radio from his fallen
radio operator, restored communications, and continued the attack until the enemy broke contact and withdrew, leaving
behind thirteen casualties, several crew-served weapons, and numerous rifles and items of equipment. By his courage,
aggressive leadership and unflagging devotion to duty in an extremely hazardous situation, Second Lieutenant Jaehne
upheld the highest traditons of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
For the President,
Secretary of the Navy