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 James E. Brown, United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving with the 81st Infantry Division, on Peleliu Island, Palau Group, during World War II. During one phase of the operation, the platoon of which Staff Sergeant Brown was a member, was caught in a Japanese pocket and subjected to so fierce a barrage of fire that it was necessary to maneuver out of position in order to avoid further damage. Moving into defensive positions, the platoon leader discovered three members were missing. A three man patrol was formed to return to the enemy territory in search of the missing soldiers. Staff Sergeant Brown volunteered, and he and two others made their way into the bitterly contested valley. They discovered the three men, all of them wounded, and began the evacuation immediately. Each of the volunteers took a wounded soldier upon his back, began to crawl back to the American positions, when the Japanese discovered them and laid down rifle fire. Staff Sergeant Brown was forced to halt several times, shielded the wounded man, finally continuing on and succeeded in the evacuation.