Norman M. Kilbarger

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Norman M. Kilbarger (45034675), Sergeant, U.S. Army, for heroic achievement on 13 February 1951 while serving with Battery B, 15th Artillery Battalion, 2d Infantry Division, in the vicinity of Hoengsong, Korea. When our column was stalled heavy fire caused the personnel to take cover. After dismounting from the vehicle, he voluntarily returned to his vehicle and manned a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on the vehicle, returning the enemy fire. He made several trips to the vehicle returning to procure ammunition and spare parts for the weapon. During all this period he was in an exposed position and drawing enemy fire. His cool and accurate delivering of return fire destroyed at least one enemy machine gun and silenced the fire of several snipers allowing the personnel to remount and the column to move forward once more. The following night when the order to abandon vehicles was given, Sergeant Kilbarger stopped a tank and that was leaving the scene of the action and placed three wounded men on the back of the vehicle. He then placed himself over the wounded men in such a manner that they could not fall off and that he would be hit by any enemy fire before the wounded men. The act was outstanding in that all personnel had been ordered to take cover from the intense fire. He realized that unless the enemy machine gun and small arms fire were stopped our losses in vehicles and men would be greater and that our chances of escaping the trap would be comparatively less.