Brig. Gen. James W. Bierman, commanding general of Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and Western Recruiting Region, awards Joe B. Cordileone the Silver Star medal during a morning colors ceremony aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Sept. 20. Cordileone, now the chief deputy San Diego City Attorney, was awarded the Silver Star medal for his actions during the first Battle of Khe Sanh on April 30, 1967. While serving as a rifleman with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, Cordileone’s company was attacked by a numerically superior enemy force. During the attack Cordileone unhesitatingly advanced multiple times to recover wounded Marines while exposing himself to sniper fire and sustaining fragmentation wounds. His actions saved the lives of at least 10 Marines. “The Corps taught us discipline, self-discipline, how to face adversity, instilled the will to keep going and continue no matter what,” said Cordileone, a San Diego, Calif. native. “The Marine Corps showed me that there are things greater than myself. It made me part of a family that I could rely on no matter what the hardship, no matter what the cost.”