The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant Robert F. Kelly (ASN: 20200753), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company A, 781st Tank Battalion, 42d Infantry Division, in action on 17 January 1945 near Sessenheim, France. When the enemy launched a strong counter-attack across a small river, heavily supported by small arms, mortar and artillery fire, and the infantry unit he was supporting withdrew from its positions, Sergeant Kelly ordered his tank section to hold fast. Together with another tank and a machine gun squad, he repulsed the assault and drove the enemy back across the river. Refusing to withdraw his tanks until their last rounds of ammunition had been exhausted, he kept them firing until they had killed or wounded over three hundred Germans.