The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private First Class Everett F. Barger, Jr. (MCSN: 423790), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with Company F, Second Battalion, Twenty-Seventh Marines, FIFTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 24 February 1945. When his company had been pinned down by heavy hostile mortar and small arms fire, Private First Class Barger braved intense cross-fires to guide three tanks forward of our lines and into a position from which they were able to destroy the enemy strong point. By his outstanding courage and initiative, Private First Class Barger contributed materially to the accomplishment of his company’s mission. His devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.