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GENERAL ORDERS NUMBER 9419 |
16 September 1969 |
AWARD OF THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
1. TC 320. The following AWARD is announced.
ELLIS, GEORGE V, XXX-XX-XXXX, LIEUTENANT COLONEL, INFANTRY
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, 1st Infantry,
11th Infantry Brigade APO 96217
Awarded: Distinguished Flying Cross (First Oak Leaf Cluster)
Date action: 12 May 1969
Theater: Republic of Vietnam
| Reason: | For heroism while participating in aerial flight as evidenced by voluntary actions above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Lieutenant Colonel Ellis distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 12 May 1969 while serving as Battalion Commander of the 3d Battalion, 1st Infantry. On that date, Colonel Ellis was flying aboard his Command and Control Helicopter and coordinating the sweep of a friendly company through an area near Xuan Thanh when the ground unit encountered a large North Vietnamese Army force. Quickly assessing the tactical situation, Colonel Ellis ordered a cavalry platoon to move in and reinforce the infantry company. In addition, he directed his pilot to make a series of low level passes over the contact area so that the Command Group could mark key enemy positions with smoke and call in air strikes. During this time, Colonel Ellis personally engaged a number of the hostile emplacements and succeeded in greatly alleviating pressure on the elements. On two occasions the aircraft touched down to resupply the ground units with ammunition. Both times, Colonel Ellis unhesitatingly assumed an exposed position and placed suppressive fire on the insurgents to enable the ship to safely leave the landing zone. While continuing to fly about the battle area, the Command and Control Helicopter received several direct hits and was forced to make an emergency landing. Colonel Ellis immediately acquired another ship, returned to the site, and continued to locate hostile positions. As darkness approached, he ordered flare ships to the area and directed them to search the battle zone throughout the night. A search that day resulted in finding 59 enemy soldiers dead and the capture of many weapons. Lieutenant Colonel Ellis's personal heroism, professional competence, and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Americal Division, and the United States Army. |
| Authority: | By direction of the President under the provisions of the Act of Congress, approved 2 July 1926. |
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