Navy Achievement Medal (Knowles, USS Strauss, Tonkin Gulf)

Navy Achievement Medal, with “V” device,  crimp brooch, machine-engraved “J.L. Knowles/FT2 USN/USS Strauss/Tonkin Gulf/1972″.

In the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive of 1972, USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16) provided critical naval gunfire support a Marine Corps unit trying to prevent the North Vietnamese Army from moving tanks across the Dong Ha Bridge into South Vietnam. Johnathan Lee Knowles’ rating was “Fire Control Technician Second Class”, so he would have been part of that action.