The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier’s Medal to Private First Class Joseph R. Sterba (ASN: 33607281), United States Army, for heroism not involving actual conflict with the enemy while serving with the Medical Detachment, 863d Field Artillery Battalion, 63d Infantry Division, on 6 April 1945, in the vicinity of Aschausen, Germany. When Mortar ammunition was being unloaded from a truck and trailer, the mortar rounds accidentally began exploding. Five infantrymen in the immediate vicinity of the trailer were injured by the fragments. Private First Class Sterba and three comrades, members of the medical section, with complete disregard for their own safety and the danger of continued explosions, went to the aid of the injured men, successfully removing them by litter from the scene of the exploding ammunition. The bravery displayed by these men reflects credit upon themselves and is in keeping with the finest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States.