The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers) William C. Cochran (ASN: 0-511654), United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving with the 158th Engineer Combat Battalion from 18 December 1944 to 20 December 1944, in Belgium. Upon hearing tanks approaching through heavy fog, First Lieutenant Cochran ordered his men to covered positions and moved forward through intense small arms fire to determine the exact position and direction of advance of the unidentified tanks. Observing the tanks to be hostile with soldiers atop them, First Lieutenant Cochran unhesitatingly fired upon them as he withdrew to his squad’s positions. Here, two tanks were engaged and knocked out of action by his men. Only when his defensive position became untenable due to superior enemy numbers did he order his men to withdraw to a secondary line of defense. During the engagement, First Lieutenant Cochran killed several Germans and courageously directed the fire of American tanks which sufficiently cleared the field and allowed the remnants of his squad to retire to safety. The gallant actions and conspicuous leadership of First Lieutenant Cochran reflected great credit on himself and the military service.