The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the

NAVY AND MARINE CORPS MEDAL to

                      FIRST LIEUTENANT STEVEN M. McCARTNEY

              UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

For service as set forth in the following

                       CITATION:

                                            "For heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with

Company E, Second Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division in the Republic

of  Vietnam.  On  the  night  of  28  October 1970,  First  Lieutenant  McCartney  was

leading a four-man patrol in the vicinity of An Trach, five miles south of DaNang. As

his  men were following him across a flood - swollen stream, one lost his footing, fell

in the deep water,  and  was  carried  downstream  by  the  swift  current.  Hearing the

man's  cry for help, First Lieutenant McCartney  rushed  back to the shore and, after

failing  to  reach  the  panic  stricken  Marine  by extending the barrel of his shotgun

across the stream, jumped into the turbulent water and was immediately swept away by the force of the current.  With complete disregard for his own safety, he searched anxiously  for  the  Marine,  struggling in the surging stream until he was exhausted. Then, pulling himself  to  shore with great difficulty, he organized a search party and conducted  a  search  of  the  entire  shoreline  but  failed  to  locate  the  body of the drowning victim until  the  flood  waters  receded several days later.  First Lieutenant McCartney's  heroic  and  selfless  efforts to save the life of a fellow Marine inspired all  who  observed  him and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service."

                                                    FOR THE PRESIDENT

Steven M. McCartney