US Navy SEAL X-Ray Platoon in 1970, with the photo taken on a dock near Ben Tre in Southeast Vietnam. The SEAL in the center of the group armed with the Stoner 63A1 Mk 23 Mod 0 Commando with a short 15.7 inch barrel is Lt. Michael Collins.
Collins attended Underwater Demolition Team Replacement Accession training with Class 039 at NAB Coronado, California, from May to November 1966, and then served with Underwater Demolition Team ELEVEN (UDT-11) at NAB Coronado from November 1966 to June 1968. His next assignment was with the Studies and Observations Group under the U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam from June 1968 to July 1969, followed by service with SEAL Team ONE at NAB Coronado from July 1969 until he was killed in action while deployed to South Vietnam on March 4, 1971. Michael Collins was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Michael Raymond Collins, United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action during operations against enemy forces in the Republic of Vietnam on 30 January 1971. As leader of a fifteen-man SEAL patrol assigned the mission of capturing the leaders of the Saigon-Cholon foreign proselyting section, Lieutenant Collins successfully led two of his three elements through a heavily booby trapped enemy area before encountering heavy automatic weapons fire from a large enemy force. Remaining calm, he strategically deployed his force to counter the enemy fire, and then ordered his radioman to scramble air support to aid in suppressing the fire of the well-dug-in enemy force. Simultaneously, he called for helicopters to evacuate his casualties. Lieutenant Collins moved about the area to survey the situation and discovered that one of his men had been fatally wounded and two were critically wounded by the initial volley of enemy fire. When the corpsman arrived at the scene, Lieutenant Collins was administering mouth to mouth resuscitation to one of his stricken teammates, following which he returned to the security element and continued to direct a heavy volume of fire toward the enemy. While members of the patrol were boarding the SEAL Support Craft, the Vietnamese interpreter was wounded by enemy fire. Lieutenant Collins, fully exposing himself to the withering fire, dragged the wounded man to a small ditch and administered first aid. He then carried the man to the boat through a continuous rain of fire from the pursuing enemy and directed the boat to get underway to a secure location where he supervised the evacuation of his stricken comrades. By his calm, cool, and decisive actions in the face of withering enemy fire, Lieutenant Collins prevented almost certain disaster for the entire platoon at the hands of a vastly outnumbering force. His inspiring performance of duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
