Milton Lewis

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Milton Lewis (270365), Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as a member of the FIRST Marine Division in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands Area on 7 August 1942. With courageous disregard for his own safety, Corporal Lewis determinedly led his squad against a hostile machine-gun position which threatened to halt his unit’s advance. Despite his imminent peril, he tenaciously continued his relentless fighting and, although fatally wounded, so inspired his men that they succeeded in silencing the enemy gun, thereby removing this perilous obstacle. Corporal Lewis’s unswerving devotion to duty in the face of extreme personal danger was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Board Serial: 1113 (July 15, 1943)