Airman First Class Pitsenbarger received the Medal of Honor posthumously for extreme valor on 11 April 1966 near Cam My, Republic of Vietnam, while serving as a pararescue crew member with Detachment 6, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron. Aboard a rescue helicopter responding to casualties from a firefight between elements of the United States Army's 1st Infantry Division and a sizable enemy force about 35 miles east of Saigon, he volunteered to descend by hoist more than one hundred feet through the jungle to the ground. There he organized rescue efforts, cared for the wounded, prepared casualties for evacuation, and helped keep the recovery operation smooth and orderly, greatly speeding the evacuation. Even as nine casualties were evacuated, he repeatedly refused evacuation himself so that another wounded soldier could be brought out. After one of the two rescue helicopters was hit by heavy enemy ground fire and forced to leave for an emergency landing, he remained on the ground to perform medical duties. When sniper and mortar fire intensified and a later evacuation attempt was called off during a heavy assault by a large Viet Cong force, he took up arms with the besieged infantrymen, gathered and distributed ammunition under intense gunfire, cared for the wounded, pulled them from the line of fire, and returned fire whenever he could, even after being wounded three times. As the battle continued and American forces suffered 80 percent casualties after their perimeter was breached, he was fatally wounded while staying behind to save wounded infantrymen, and his bravery and determination reflected the highest professional standards and traditions of military service.