CAPTAIN JAMES R. MAGOURYK, was decorated with the DSC to recognize his extraordinary heroism on 12 February 1969 while serving as a rifle platoon leader during operations near Phan Thiet in Binh Thuan Province. When combined elements of the South Vietnamese Army and Regional/Popular Forces encountered heavy enemy contact during the defense of the city, Lieutenant Magouyrk and his unit were flown in to reinforce the allied elements. As the helicopters touched down, enemy B-40 rocket and small arms fire burst from bunkers surrounding the landing zone. Immediately Lieutenant Magouyrk disembarked and set up defensive positions. He continually exposed himself to the fusillade to pull casualties to a safe area for medical evacuation and to redistribute ammunition among his men. Observing an enemy in a nearby bunker preparing to launch a rocket, he charged the fortification, destroying it with hand grenades and capturing the rocket launcher. While supervising a sweep of an area vacated by the enemy, he was wounded by hostile fire. Not until he had organized his men into a defensive night position did he allow himself to be evacuated for medical treatment. First Lieutenant Magouryk’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.

Mr. Magouryk joined the Legion of Valor in 1971.