Adrian K. Long

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Adrian K. Long (0-541548), First Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers), U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with the 301st Engineer Combat Battalion, 76th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy on 1 March 1945, in the vicinity of Glisen and Eisenach, Germany. Leading a reconnaissance patrol, with the mission of securing vital information concerning the road net of the Trier-Bitburg highway, Lieutenant Long encountered a strongly held position consisting of two machine guns flanked on the left by a pillbox and several riflemen on the right. Personally leading his patrol in a short fire fight, they killed the machine gunners and took ten prisoners. He then stood up in full view of the enemy in the pillbox and fired on it in order to cover the movements of his men. After continual fire into the embrasures of the pillbox, the enemy displayed a white flag and surrendered, thus neutralizing the entire position. This sustained action resulted in casualties to the enemy amounting to 4 dead and 17 prisoners, two of which were wounded. The gallant leadership and inspiring heroism of Lieutenant Long in this decisive action, without a casualty to his patrol and enabling them to capture this strong point and successfully carry out the mission, reflects great credit on him and the military service.