Headquarters, 34th Infantry Division, General Orders No. 31 (April 29, 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 Lieutenant Colonel (Infantry) Fillmore Kennady Mearns, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving as Commanding Officer of the 3d Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy in Italy, on 16 January 1944. Working alone in a mine field, Colonel Mearns probed a safe path to seven wounded men caught in the field, gave them first aid and brought about their removal after other rescuers had been injured by mine blasts. He worked in an area being shelled at the time. When he found the men in the mine field, he was advancing with his unit. Grasping a long pole, he moved cautiously into the area, prodding the ground ahead to find a safe lane or set off mines in the way to the wounded men. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Lieutenant Colonel Mearns, 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.