The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Medical Corps), [then First Lieutenant] Francis B. Nelson, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with as a Medical Officer with the 10th Armored Division, in action against the enemy in France, on 15 November 1944. While engaged in assisting the medical aidmen of another unit in the vicinity of Kerling, France, Captain Nelson was informed by an officer that an enlisted man in a nearby disabled tank was in need of medical attention. Captain Nelson, in spite of the warning that the tank was in sight of the enemy and covered by their fire, voluntarily accompanied the officer. Upon arriving at the disabled tank, Captain Nelson, with absolute disregard for his own safety from intense enemy fire, climbed upon the front of the tank and administered emergency first aid to the wounded man, after which he assisted in evacuating him to safety. His intrepidity in the face of grave danger reflects high credit upon himself the Military Forces of the United States.