The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant First Class Jackie L. Hansen (ASN: RA-16332742), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Company F, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division, in action against an armed enemy on 23 September 1951 in the vicinity of Yanggu, Korea. On this date Company F was attacking vital hill positions defended by a numerically superior enemy force. When intense fire from an enemy machine gun emplacement threatened to halt the attack, Sergeant Hansen, with complete disregard for his personal safety, advanced toward it and succeeded in destroying the emplacement with hand grenades. As the intensity of the enemy fire increased, friendly troops were forced to withdraw. Retrieving an automatic rifle from a fallen soldier, Sergeant Hansen voluntarily remained behind to offer covering fire until all of his comrades had safely withdrawn. In his attempt to withdraw, Sergeant Hansen sighted several wounded men lying helpless and immediately assumed an exposed position and employed a heavy volume of fire while the medical aidmen evacuated the wounded soldiers. His courage and selfless actions were an inspiration to his comrades and undoubtedly saved many of their lives. The gallantry in action displayed by Sergeant Hansen on this occasion reflects great credit upon himself and the military service.