The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Commander George William Grider, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. FLASHER (SS-249), on the FIFTH War Patrol of that submarine during the period 15 November 1944 to 2 January 1945, in enemy controlled waters off the coasts of manila and Indo-China. On 4 December, in the face of extreme hostile countermeasures, Commander Grider launched four persistent attacks against a destroyer and a large tanker and, although heavily depth-charged between each of the attacks, succeeded in sinking both of the hostile craft. Leading his ship in two surface attacks against a convoy of five tankers and our escorts on a latter date, he skillfully maneuvered the FLASHER in a seventeen-hour chase to close the convoy and to sink three of the tankers without being detected by the escorting vessels. By his leadership, gallant fighting spirit and devotion to duty, Commander Grider contributed materially to the success of our operations in this area and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.