Bay Area Silver Star recipient protected fellow Marines with 'complete disregard for his own safety'

TAMPA, Fla. - The United States Department of Defense awards top honors to recognize "acts of valor performed by Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines." 

The U.S. Marine Corps's top three awards are the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, and the Silver Star. 

During the first week of ‘Military May," FOX 13 is highlighting service members who received the Silver Star for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States. 

The first Silver Star was awarded in 1932 during World War I. 

Below is the citation from the Department of Defense in awarding Lance Corporal Johnnie M. Clark the Silver Star for his actions on August 3, 1968, during the Vietnam War.

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lance Corporal [then Private First Class] Johnnie M. Clark (MCSN: 2397358), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action in connection with operations against North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong while serving as a Machine Gunner in the Second Platoon, Company A, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, during Operation MAMELUKE THRUST on 3 August 1968. In an area known as the Arizona Territory, approximately three miles northwest of An Hon Combat Base, Quang Nam Province, in the later afternoon, lead elements of that platoon made contact with several enemy soldiers. Lance Corporal Clark opened fire with his M-60 machine gun, wounding one enemy soldier, who was quickly dragged away by his comrades. As the three enemy were withdrawing, Lance Corporal Clark was ordered to recon the intervening graveyard by fire. Subsequently, a squad was dispatched to physically reconnoiter, but as they advanced, three enemy .30 caliber machine guns took them under fire from fixed positions. One Marine was immediately killed and four were wounded as they crossed the graveyard, which by then had become saturated by fire from AK-47 automatic rifles, rocket propelled grenades, and mortar fire from a suspected North Vietnamese Army battalion. Because the reconnoitering squad lay in the line of fire from the Second Platoon, and because of the enemy volume of fire on the positions of the latter, they could not return fire without hitting their own men. Coolly surveying the situation, Lance Corporal Clark courageously leaped atop a grave mound with complete disregard for his own safety, exposing himself to fire from the three hostile in order to fire his machine gun over the pinned down squad without hitting them. He quickly knocked out one gun and returned fire on another until he ran out of ammunition and had his legs knocked out from under him by enemy fire hitting his boot. Recovering quickly, he reloaded his machine gun and suppressed the enemy fire until darkness engulfed them, at which time he pulled back to rejoin his platoon. That night Lance Corporal Clark rushed into the graveyard to pull one Marine to safety. He later volunteered to re-enter the graveyard in search of two missing Marines. By his initiative, courageous actions, and complete dedication to duty, Lance Corporal Clark reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.