The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Chief Machinist’s Mate Brady Lawson Bryan (NSN: 416314), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving on board the Destroyer U.S.S. MEREDITH (DD-726), in saving the lives of four injured men by carrying them out of a totally dark, shattered and flooded engineroom under hazardous conditions, when that vessel struck an enemy mine while engaged in supporting the assault on the Coast of France on 8 June 1944. Chief Machinist’s Mate Bryan was in charge of the watch in the after engineroom when the MEREDITH struck a mine. Although dazed, he made his way out of the engineroom, but upon learning that the twelve men of his watch were still below, he, with total disregard for his own safety, and realizing that the room was flooded to within four feet of the overhead, went below and succeeded in rescuing four badly injured members of the crew who otherwise would have gone down with the ship. The courage and decisive action displayed by Chief Machinist’s Mate Bryan on this occasion were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.