The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Mickey K. Peacock (US53442136), Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with the military operation involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Battery C, 6th Battalion, 32 Artillery, I Field Force, Specialist Four Peacock distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous action on 30 January 1968 while serving with his artillery battery, during an attack on its position near Tuy Hoa. A North Vietnamese Army battalion launched a massive rocket, mortar and ground attack against his unit’s perimeter during the pre-dawn hours and succeeded in breaching a sector of the defense. Realizing two of his comrades were trapped inside a bunker which was surrounded by the enemy, Specialist Peacock launched a personal assault on the insurgents and reached the position through a curtain of fire. Wounded by the intense fusillade, he ignored his own welfare and carried one of the wounded soldiers to safety. He refused aid for his own wound and assaulted against the enemy on and around the besieged bunker a second time. The hostile force concentrated its fire on him as he charged, but he refused to take cover and killed several of the attackers with deadly rifle fires. His heroic efforts were stopped when he was severely wounded by an exploding enemy rocket, but his furious fighting forced the North Vietnamese to withdraw from around the bunker. Inspired by his actions, his fellow soldiers mounted savage counterattack which inflicted heavy casualties on the insurgents and forced them to break contact. Specialist Four Peacock’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Headquarters, US Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 1424 (March 30, 1968)
