Serial Number: 325687
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the SILVER STAR MEDAL to
SERGEANT WALTER H. NOWAK,
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS,
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company C, Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion, Second Marine Division, during operations against enemy Japanese forces at Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on 20 November 1943. Embarked on an amphibian tractor which was immobilized and set afire a hundred yards off shore during the initial assault on D-Day, Sergeant Nowak, immediately after abandoning the stricken craft, found a seriously wounded infantryman who had been thrown from the vehicle when the shell struck. Despite the extreme danger, he braved the enemy's concentrated shellfire to administer first aid to the wounded Marine and fearlessly swam with him through the treacherous fireswept waters for more than an hour in a valiant effort to save his life. By his daring initiative , outstanding fortitude and grave concern for the safety of another a t great personal risk, Sergeant Nowak served as an i nspiration to others in the area and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."
R •• Buffalo, N.Y.
B •• Buffalo, N.Y.For the President,
JOHN L. SULLIVAN
Secretary of the Navy.
Send an Email:
copyright 2010 T.O.T.W.
Created 4 August 2018
