for service as set forth in the following citation:

For exceptionally meritorious service from 5 March 1968 through 24 January 1969 while operating with friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict against communist aggressor forces in the Mekong Delta region of the Republic of Vietnam. As the naval component of the Army/Navy Mobile Riverine Force (Task Force 117), the ships and assault boats of River Assault Flotilla ONE provided close logistic, communication, and gunfire support to troops of the United States Army’s 9th Infantry Division, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Vietnamese Marine Corps Battalions, and the 9th and 21st Divisions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during riverine assault operations which were part of a concerted offensive campaign into communist-dominated rural areas. Ambushes and fire fights on the rivers and narrow canals were almost daily occurrences; and rocket and mining attacks were frequent and ever-present dangers. The multiple operations of River Assault Flotilla ONE during this period were directly responsible for weakening the hold of the Viet Cong and their North Vietnamese cohorts on the Delta, for depriving them of sole possession of hundreds of waterways, and for ensuring freedom of movement for Vietnamese civilians throughout much of the Delta. In the kind of close combat action which requires exceptional courage, enterprise, and patience, the officers and men of River Assault Flotilla ONE consistently exhibited these qualities. Their gallantry in the face of continuous enemy opposition, and their superlative performance as individuals and as a team, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

All personnel attached to and serving with River Assault Flotilla ONE during the above-designated period, or any part thereof, are hereby authorized to wear the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon.

John W. Warner
Secretary of the Navy (Acting)