The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Walter H. Nowak (MCSN: 325687), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company C, Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion, SECOND Marine Division, during operations against enemy Japanese forces at Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, on 20 November 1943. Embarked on an amphibian tractor which was immobilized and set afire a hundred yards offshore during the initial assault on D-Day, Sergeant Nowak, immediately after abandoning the stricken craft, found a seriously wounded infantryman who had been thrown from the vehicle when the shell struck. Despite the extreme danger, he braved the enemy’s concentrated shellfire to administer first aid to the wounded Marine and fearlessly swam with him through the treacherous fore-swept waters for more than an hour in a valiant effort to save his life. By his daring initiative, outstanding fortitude and grave concern for the safety of another at great personal risk, Sergeant Nowak served as an inspiration to others in the area and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.