Navy Federal Credit Union

Awards Received

  • Silver Star

    Service:

    United States Army

    Rank:

    Sergeant [then Corporal]

    Batallion:

    2d Battalion

    Regiment:

    7th Infantry Regiment

    Division:

    3d Infantry Division

    Action Date:

    May 23, 1951

    Headquarters, 3d Infantry Division, General Orders No. 562 (December 15, 1951)

    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 [then Corporal] Roy R. Hayrynen (ASN: RA-16331461), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Company G, 2d Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against an armed enemy in Korea. On 23 May 1951, Company G was occupying high ground near Changyong-ni, Korea, when the enemy made a night attack employing grenades, small arms, and automatic weapons. Sergeant Hayrynen was protecting a flank in his squad’s sector as hostile soldiers made a second assault and painfully wounded him with a hand grenade at close range. During four more enemy assaults, Sergeant Hayrynen, although now wounded, held his position and continued to pour an accurate, rapid volume of automatic rifle fire into the charging foe, each time repelling the dangerously close enemy. Only after a lull in the fighting permitted reorganization of the squad, did he relinquish his position and seek medical attention. Sergeant Hayrynen’s stand against the heavy odds inspired his comrades while inflicting casualties on the enemy and contributed materially to the successful defense of the company’s positions. The gallantry and devotion to duty displayed by Sergeant Hayrynen reflect great credit upon himself and the military service.