The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Coast Artillery Corps) John Edward Ryan (ASN: 0-59365), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Battery B, 26th Antiaircraft Artillery (Automatic Weapons) Battalion (Self-Propelled), 24th Infantry Division, near Paegyangni, Korea, on 8 November 1951. A platoon of M-16 half-track weapons was dispatched to provide fire support for infantry elements attacking an enemy-held objective. Lieutenant Ryan, Battery Executive Officer, arrived at the forward patrol base to check administrative details and learned that enemy mortar fire had disabled two vehicles, wounding several men. He immediately advanced into the combat area and assumed command of the platoon. Previous attempts to rescue a seriously wounded man, trapped in one of the crippled vehicles, had been unsuccessful because of the extremely intense concentration of enemy fire blanketing the area. Lieutenant Ryan, with complete disregard for his own safety, commandeered a vehicle and personally recovered the wounded man. He was wounded in the act but resolutely returned twice more to retrieve the damaged half-tracks. He then reorganized the crew members on the two remaining half-tracks and skillfully placed them in position to support the infantrymen in their task force operation. Lieutenant Ryan’s courageous action, bold initiative and outstanding performance of tasks far beyond the call of duty contributed immeasurably to the success of his unit’s mission and reflect the highest credit on himself and the United States Artillery.