The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Torpedoman’s Mate Second Class Donald Edward Krom, United States Navy, for risking his life repeatedly to swim through oil-covered water and carry a line to exhausted survivors of a badly damaged ship during World War II, realizing that his ship might be forced to steam away and leave him in the shark-infested waters only a few miles from enemy territory. When the line parted, he assisted several men to a drifting life raft which was eventually towed back to his ship.