Navy Federal Credit Union

Awards Received

  • Silver Star

    Service:

    United States Army

    Rank:

    Sergeant [then Corporal]

    Batallion:

    743d Tank Battalion (Separate)

    Division:

    30th Infantry Division

    Action Date:

    October 18 & 19, 1944

    Headquarters, 30th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 125 (December 15, 1944)

    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 [then Corporal] Donald L. Mason (ASN: 37123461), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 743d Tank Battalion (Separate), attached to the 30th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy on 18 and 19 October 1944, in Germany. Sergeant Mason distinguished himself when the tank he commanded was the sole tank in a defensive position against a dangerous counterattack launched by enemy armored and infantry units. For thirty-six hours, while the fire from artillery burst around him and the whole mass of the enemy armor directed their fire against his tank, Sergeant Mason held his ground. His magnificent courage in the face of numerically superior forces resulted in the destruction of one enemy tank and two self-propelled guns, and denied the enemy a breakthrough which would have been disastrous for his unit. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Sergeant Mason, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.