The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant James A. Brenden (MCSN: 0-15114), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as a Platoon leader, attached to Company B, Fourth Tank Battalion, FOURTH Marine Division, during operations against enemy Japanese forces on Saipan, Mariana Islands, on 15 June 1944. When his command tank was incorrectly loaded on board an LCM which then developed a dangerous list to port and was in danger of capsizing, First Lieutenant Brenden immediately called for volunteers to proceed to the ship’s starboard side to assist him in balancing the craft and, although seriously wounded when a hostile artillery shell hit the lighter, contributed to the successful landing of this vital craft. By his outstanding initiative and courage, First Lieutenant Brenden upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.