Wray C. Lewis

The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Wray C. Lewis (0-14024), First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism while attached to the Third Battalion, Twenty- Fourth Marines, FOURTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces at Saipan, Marianas Islands, on 18 June 1944. When his company was forced to withdraw in the face of the enemy’s fierce barrage, leaving the wounded forward of our lines, First Lieutenant Lewis voluntarily risked his life to rescue the helpless Marines. Undeterred by concentrated Japanese machine-gun and rifle fire, he led stretcher parties on three separate missions and, advancing fearlessly into the fire-swept area on each occasion, succeeded in bringing approximately twelve of the wounded back to safety. By his daring initiative, outstanding fortitude and self-sacrificing efforts on behalf of others, First Lieutenant Lewis contributed to the saving of many lives and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Commander in Chief, Pacific Forces: Serial 197 (January 25, 1945)