The  President  of  the  United States  takes  pleasure  in  presenting  the  AIR MEDAL (Gold Star in lieu of the Second Award)

for service as set forth in the following

                 CITATION:

                               "For  heroic  achievement  in aerial  flight  while  serving  as Commanding  Officer  of   Marine  Medium  Helicopter  Squadron 364,  Marine Aircraft  Group  Sixteen,  First Marine Aircraft Wing  in  connection  with  com- bat  operations against  the enemy in the  Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of  17  November  1969,   Lieutenant  Colonel  Dunbaugh  launched  as   Section Leader  of a flight of two CH-46  transport  helicopters assigned to  conduct  the medical evacuation of casualties from elements of a Marine regiment engaged in operations  in  the  Que Son Mountains  approximately  nine miles  northwest of Fire Support Base Baldy in  Quang Nam Province.  The initial extraction involv- ed  the  evacuation  of two seriously  wounded Marines from  an area  where one transport  helicopter  was  shot down  and another damaged by  hostile  fire  the previous  day.  Despite  the  constant  threat  of enemy  fire and adverse weather conditions,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Dunbaugh  skillfully  air-taxied  his  helicopter below  a  one  hundred foot overcast to the  Marines' position and  maintained a steady hover while the two casualties were hoisted aboard. After transporting the wounded men to the hospital at DaNang, he returned to  the Que Son Mountain area.   Following  the  successful extraction of a  seriously ill  Marine, Lieutenant Colonel Dunbaugh was enroute to a  medical facility when he received an urgent request for the emergency medical evacuation of three casualties from a densly- jungled  area on  the steep  slope of a  mountain.   Arriving over  the  designated area,  he  maneuvered  to a hover  above the  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and twenty-five  foot  tall  trees  and  lowered his jungle penetrator down through an opening in the dense canopy. After one of the casualties was hoisted aboard,  his aircraft came under intense  hostile fire.  Undaunted,  Lieutenant  Colonel  Dun- baugh  resolutely remained in  his  precarious  position until all of  the wounded Marines were  hoisted aboard and  then  departed for  the  hospital  at  DaNang. Lieutenant Colonel Dunbaugh's  courage,  superior airmanship, and unwavering devotion to duty at great personal risk during five medical  evacuation  missions that  day  resulted  in  the safe extraction of  many fellow  Marines and   were  in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service."