The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private First Class Walter J. Stempniak (ASN: 36902963), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 35th Infantry Division, in action in the vicinity of ****, France, on 8 November 1944. When his squad was pinned to position by cross-fire of enemy machine guns, Private Stempniak, a rifleman, made his way forward to a position within fifty yards of one of the enemy emplacements, charged with a fixed bayonet, killed one of the German gunners and captured the other. He then turned the enemy gun on the other German emplacement, neutralizing it and enabling his unit to resume its advance. Private Stempniak’s intrepidity and fighting spirit have earned for his a place of honor in the annals of fighting Infantrymen.