Richard O. Eiler

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Richard O. Eiler (0-58140), First Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Platoon Leader of Company D, 8th Engineer Combat Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. First Lieutenant Eiler distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces at Kasan, Korea, on 5 September 1950. Defending the right flank of the company perimeter, Lieutenant Eiler’s platoon was subjected to vicious hostile fire from two machine-guns which reduced its strength to twelve men, several of whom were wounded. In order to save his depleted unit from potential annihilation, Lieutenant Eiler crawled fifty yards up a slope, threw two grenades into an emplacement, and silenced one harassing gun. Returning to his platoon, he ordered its withdrawal in the face of a renewed and determined enemy attack, and proceeded to provide covering fire for his men. While assisting the wounded men over a high wall obstructing the withdrawal, he was seriously wounded, but ordered his men to continue on to safety without him. Selecting a position which provided an excellent field of observation, he delivered a withering fire into the hostile ranks until his position was overrun and he was mortally wounded.
Department of the Army, General Orders No. 85 (September 25, 1951)