By Direction
of the
President of the United States
The
Distinguished Service Cross
Is Awarded
To
James Anagnostopoulos
Rank and Unit: Private First
Class, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade
Date and Place: 27 February 1968, Republic of
Vietnam
Reason: For extraordinary heroism
in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in
the Republic of Vietnam: Private First Class Anostopoulos distinguished himself by
exceptionally valorous actions on 27 February 1968 while serving as a company medic
during a search and destroy operation southwest of Kontum City. Contact
was made with a North Vietnamese Army company, and several members of his unit's
lead element were wounded in the first moments of the ensuing fire fight.
Despite heavy concentrations of automatic weapons fire, Private Anagnostopoulos
raced across one hundred and fifty meters of pen terrain to treat his wounded
comrades. After pulling a seriously injured platoon leader to cover and
giving him first aid, he moved forward to three casualties who were within ten
meters of an enemy machine gun. As he worked on the wounded the North
Vietnamese machine gunner raised up and began firing on his position.
Private Anagnostopoulos killed the enemy soldier with his pistol. He then
completed giving aid to the three men and also treated two new casualties amid
hostile sniper fire and hand grenades directed against him. He next
organized the evacuation of his patients to a helicopter landing zone,
personally carrying three of the wounded through the continuing enemy
fire. When heavy fighting erupted a second time, Private Anagnostopoulos
rushed across one hundred meters of exposed land and aided in the rescue of five
more wounded comrades. Private First Class Anagnostopoulos
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.
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