 By 1966, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War had escalated to a full-scale ground conflict. On August 8th of that year, a platoon of U.S. Marines from Company E, 2nd Battalion 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, was on our reconnaissance mission deep in enemy territory near Cam Laos, Quang Trie Province, South Vietnam. Discovered by the enemy, the platoon was ambushed and surrounded by North Vietnamese troops, suffering numerous casualties that depleted its leadership. The Marines were on the verge of being overrun. Made aware of this situation, Major Howard V. Lee, the commanding officer of Company E, refused to stand by as his Marines struggled against the enemy. Assembling seven other Marines and two helicopters, Major Lee moved rapidly to reinforce the besieged platoon. Landing in a hot combat zone, Major Lee and his men exited the helicopters evading enemy fire as they scaled the hill to the Marine's position. Knoring an evacuation would take time, Major Lee took command of the situation. He organized his Marines' defenses as they repelled the enemy's attempts to break through their lines. As the battle continued, Major Lee called in artillery and helicopter strikes and an attempt to beat the attackers back. As day turned to night, the enemy launched one last desperate offense to dislodge the Marines from their hill. Wounded by grenade shrapnel, Major Lee pressed on, motivating his men and giving orders until he finally passed out from blood loss. His Marines continued to fight until the enemy finally withdrew. Major Lee's heroic actions and expert leadership resulted in a full departure of North Vietnamese Army forces from the area and the evacuation of his previously stranded Marines. For these actions, Major Howard V. Lee was awarded the Medal of Honor.