William J. O’Brien

By direction of the President, the Silver Star has been posthumously awarded to William J. O’Brien, Sergeant, United States Army. For gallantry in action near ********* on 13 January 1945. Under heavy small arms fire and in full view of the enemy, Sergeant O’Brien with utter disregard for his own safety, dismounted from his vehicle to go to the aid of a wounded comrade. Skillfully working his way across the open terrain to the stricken soldier, he administered emergency medical treatment and while attempting to evacuate the casualty to the safety of his tank, he was mortally wounded by an enemy sniper. Sergeant O’Brien’s sheer courage and unselfish devotion to his comrades reflects great credit on himself and the military service.