The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Technical Sergeant [then Staff Sergeant] Marvin E. Zumwalt (ASN: 17077268), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 119th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy on 31 July 1944, in France. Knowing that the only way to stop the savagely attacking enemy was to eliminate the infantry to force the enemy armor to withdraw, Technical Sergeant Zumwalt moved under murderous artillery and mortar fire to a roadbed. Refusing to be deterred by a hail of machine gun fire directed at him, he crawled across the road and placed his radio in a fully exposed position to call for mortar fire which forced the enemy to withdraw. Technical Sergeant Zumwalt then moved back to his company and, still under machine gun fire, called for fire which knocked out two machine gun positions. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Technical Sergeant [then Staff Sergeant] Zumwalt, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.