Major Dethlefsen made repeated close air strikes on a surface-to-air (SAM) site in North Vietnam, which protected a key industrial target. Major Dethlefsen's aircraft took heavy fire from both the ground and intercepting MIGs. Despite this severe adversity, he was able to knock out the enemy defense facility, thereby enabling the aircraft of the strike flight to destroy the target. For this act of heroism, he was given the nation's highest combat award--the Medal of Honor.