Actions that summer led to a Marine, 1st Lt. Frank S. Reasoner, becoming the first Marine of the war to receive the Medal of Honor. On 12 July 1965, an 18-man patrol from A Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion led by Reasoner was under fire about 20 kilometers southwest of Da Nang Air Base. Reasoner's patrol was under a barrage of heavy fire. His radio operator was hit by enemy fire. Reasoner came to the operator's aid as he provided cover, killing two VC and interrupting hostile automatic weapons fire. As Reasoner was about to render hasty first aid to his radioman, he was mortally wounded.