Richard J. Hartnett

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Richard J. Hartnett, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Squad Leader in an Infantry Company of the 3d Infantry Division. Sergeant First Class Hartnett distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Chorwon, Korea, on 29 September 1951. On that date, Sergeant Hartnett’s company was assigned the mission of attacking a numerically superior hostile force occupying well-fortified hill positions. Commanding the lead squad of this assault, Sergeant Hartnett had maneuvered his men to within a few yards of the enemy emplacements when a heavy volume of machine-gun fire halted their advance. Unhesitatingly, Sergeant Hartnett charged directly into the intense enemy fire, hurling grenades and firing his rifle. His aggressive action neutralized the hostile emplacement, but his attack also attracted the attention of the enemy troops occupying another bunker who immediately directed their fire against the friendly force. Sergeant Hartnett single-handedly assaulted the emplacement, this time destroying its weapon and killing the occupants. Observing another enemy position, he fearlessly charged a third time and eliminated it. His courageous actions were directly responsible for the collapse of the enemy defenses and enabled his company to take its objective with a minimum of casualties.
Headquarters, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea: General Orders No. 3 (January 2, 1952)