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 (Infantry) Franklin Loeb Wilson (ASN: 0-63975), United States Army, for gallantry in action as a member of Company I, 3d Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against an armed enemy in Korea. During the early morning hours of 15 June 1953, in the vicinity of Chat-Kol, Korea, Company I, 3d Battalion, of which Lieutenant Wilson was company commander, had the mission of counterattacking and regaining control of friendly positions the enemy had overrun in earlier action. The numerically superior enemy force was concentrating mortar, artillery and automatic weapons fire on the area to disorganize any attempted counterattack. Lieutenant Wilson realized that without aggressive leadership, the company would be pinned down and the counterattack would fail. He organized his unit and instructed each squad in their specific phase of the assault. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he led the men through the intense fire, directing friendly fire and offering the men encouragement. Several times during the battle, elements of the company were cut off, however, Lieutenant Wilson quickly directed action that destroyed the intervening enemy. His skillful deployment of his troops and planned evacuation of the wounded resulted in an overwhelming victory for the friendly force. Lieutenant Wilson’s outstanding gallantry and devotion to duty reflects great credit upon himself and the military service.