The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Corporal James J. Moran (ASN: RA-12325487), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Headquarters Battery, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2d Infantry Division, in action against an armed enemy on 12 February 1951 in the vicinity of Hoengsong, Korea. On that date he was riding in a convoy composed of the units of his battalion which were withdrawing before a numerically superior enemy force. When the convoy was halted by an enemy roadblock, the rear vehicles were subjected to such heavy enemy machine gun fire that all personnel were forced to dismount and seek cover along the sides of the road, leaving the dead and wounded in the vehicles. Corporal Moran dashed through the heavy enemy fire, without hesitation or thought for his personal safety, to a vehicle which mounted a .50 caliber machine gun. He then placed such accurate and heavy machine gun fire upon the enemy that he silenced two of the hostile machine guns, thus enabling his comrades to proceed along the road. As the convoy moved out, he remained on the road in order to administer to the wounded and assist in loading them into an ambulance. Throughout the remainder of the day he made numerous trips through enemy small arms and mortar fire to carry wounded men from the surrounding hills to the vehicles in the convoy. When he reached the medical clearing station, he voluntarily remained there throughout the night, assisting in transporting and caring for the wounded. The gallantry and devotion to his wounded comrades displayed by Corporal Moran reflect great credit upon himself and the military service.