The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Technician Fifth Grade [then Private First Class] Pete S. Palandri (ASN: 36909754), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, in action against the enemy in Germany. At 2400 hours, on 30 March 1945, near Miltenberg, Germany, Technician Fifth Grade Palandri single-handedly engaged an enemy machine gun nest in a firefight at a range of twenty yards. Although German machine gun tracers from this range swept by his body, Technician Fifth Grade Palandri, in an exposed position, braced on his knees, hurled three fragmentation grenades with accuracy into the enemy strongpoint. The explosion killed four enemy soldiers and silenced an enemy machine gun nest anchored in the rock wall of its emplacement. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Technician Fifth Grade Palandri, 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.