NAVY CROSS

Staff Sergeant Curtis F. Baggett, Kilo Company

Citation:    For extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company K, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On the afternoon of 6 February 1968, Sergeant Baggett's platoon was attached to Company G, Second Battalion, Third Marines, Third Marine Division, which was heavily engaged with a numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force occupying fortified positions in the village of Phong Luc (1) in Quang Nam Province. As his unit assaulted the enemy, the Marines came under intense automatic weapons, mortar, and B-40 rocket fire. Although armed with only a .45-caliber pistol, Sergeant Baggett quickly rallied his men and led them in a determined assault against the hostile emplacements, overrunning one position and seizing a light machine gun after annihilating two enemy soldiers. Ignoring the hostile fire around him, he unhesitatingly led his men in assaulting the enemy, who were firing from positions in a nearby tree line, utilizing the confiscated machine gun to deliver effective fire as he advanced. Observing that the enemy was located in a well prepared trench line, he disregarded his own safety and courageously maneuvered to a position approximately five meters from the rear of the North Vietnamese emplacements. He exposed himself to enemy hand grenades and .50-caliber machine-gun fire in order to bring effective fire to bear on the entrenched enemy. Subsequently moving to a partially destroyed Vietnamese hut, he delivered a heavy volume of fire against the enemy and repeatedly maneuvered into the fire-swept area to pinpoint the source of enemy fire and direct the actions of his men. Disregarding his personal safety, he steadfastedly maintained his vulnerable position until he was killed by a North Vietnamese B-40 rocket round. By his intrepid fighting spirit, superior leadership, and unwavering devotion to duty at the risk of his own life, Sergeant Baggett inspired all those who observed him, contributed significantly to the defeat of the enemy, and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.