The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Staff Sergeant Ralph Wilson Moody, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against the enemy in Italy, on 1 February 1944. When his Infantry Company was attacked by strong German forces, Sergeant Moody, a bazooka gunner, voluntarily organized eight men into a firing line. Then, taking a rifle from a casualty, he knocked out an enemy machine gun crew as it was moving into position, killing two Germans and driving a third away. He next fired on a machine gun 75 yards away and silenced it. Throughout the two and a half hour battle, he killed or wounded at least six more Germans and exposed himself steadily to direct automatic weapons fire and tank shells which struck 10 yards from him, to control the fire of his men. His action secured an exposed flank of an adjoining company during a critical period. Staff Sergeant Moody’s gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, 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.