Sylvester J. Kubala

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Sylvester J. Kubala (18033101), Private First Class, U.S. Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company C, 276th Infantry Regiment, 70th Infantry Division, on 4 January 1945. When an enemy machine gun threatened to halt his platoon’s advance, Private First Class Kubala crawled 100 yards over snow-covered terrain in daylight, under severe hostile fire, to a position from where he could engage the German gun. Disregarding the hail of enemy fire, he single-handedly charged the gun, firing his M-1 rifle as he ran, killing two of the crew and capturing four others. His intrepid and courageous action accounted for an enemy machine gun and six Germans, and enabled his platoon to continue its advance.