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 Haakon Ragde (ASN: RA-18344789), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Battery C, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2d Infantry Division, in action against an armed enemy on 20 May 1951, in Korea. On this date Sergeant Ragde was a member of a forward observation party attached to Company A, 9th Infantry Regiment. Company A was in position on Hill 504 and under assault by large numbers of enemy. Early in the firefight an enemy machine gun inflicted several casualties upon the unit and made it impossible for the men to deliver small arms fire upon the enemy. With utter disregard tor his own safety, Sergeant Ragde exposed himself to enemy fire to locate hostile machine gun emplacements, and directed artillery fire on them. Sergeant Ragde’s courage, resourcefulness, skill, and determination reflect great credit upon himself and uphold the highest traditions of the Military Service of the United States.