Allan R. Carpenter

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star Medal to Allan R. Carpenter (0-657951/2107004), Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam from 1 November to 3 November 1966. Lieutenant Commander Carpenter’s captors, completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. Through his resistance to those brutalities, he contributed significantly toward the eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting international attention. By his determination, courage, resourcefulness, and devotion, Lieutenant Commander Carpenter reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces.

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting a Second Gold Star in lieu of a Third Award of the Silver Star Medal to Allan R. Carpenter (0-657951/2107004), Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while interned as a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam in August 1967. Lieutenant Commander Carpenter’s captors, completely ignoring international agreements, subjected him to extreme mental and physical cruelties in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes. Through his resistance to those brutalities, he contributed significantly toward the eventual abandonment of harsh treatment by the North Vietnamese, which was attracting international attention. By his determination, courage, resourcefulness, and devotion, Lieutenant Commander Carpenter reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Naval Service and the United States Armed Forces.

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Allan R. Carpenter (0-657951/2107004), Lieutenant Commander [then Lieutenant], U.S. Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action on 1 November 1966, as a Pilot serving with Attack Squadron SEVENTY-TWO (VA-72), embarked in the U.S.S. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (CVA-42), during a mission in support of combat operations in Southeast Asia. Lieutenant Commander Carpenter’s mission was to provide missile suppression for a vital photographic-reconnaissance flight in an extremely well-defended area of North Vietnam. When an enemy surface-to-air missile was launched against his flight, he immediately reacted with his own air- to-ground missile and, in the face of a solid barrage of light, medium, and heavy anti-aircraft fire, followed his missile’s track to the launching site to deliver a devastating rocket attack against the missile guidance vans. Determined to inflict maximum destruction, Lieutenant Commander Carpenter skillfully directed additional attacks by his wingmen against the enemy launching site, thereby significantly reducing the anti-air threat in a major enemy complex, and assuring the successful completion of the photographic mission. His daring actions, inspiring leadership, and courageous devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.