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 William J. McDaniel (ASN: 54947936), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company L, 3d Battalion, 242d Infantry Regiment, 42d Infantry Division. On 22 January 1945, near Kaltenhouse, France, Private McDaniel who was assigned as a rifleman on the extreme right flank of his platoon, observed a machine gun which had failed to function and which had been left by the gunner. In the face of enemy small arms fire, Private McDaniel crawled into the machine gun hole, pulled the gun in on top of himself, fixed it and replaced it in position just as 30 or 40 Germans emerged from the edge of the woods. He immediately commenced firing, killing a number of Germans and forcing the remainder to return into the woods.