The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant John L. Palmeri (ASN: 32338655), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company F, 337th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division, in action on 30 September 1944, in ****. When an enemy machine gun opened up on his platoon while he was leading it in an assault upon a ridge badly needed for an artillery observation post, Staff Sergeant Palmeri, a platoon guide, selected a four man patrol and led it to within one hundred yards of the enemy position when a burst of fire from the hostile gun killed one and wounded another member of the patrol. With sniper fire lashing about him, he courageously advanced alone upon the enemy position, moving over sixty yards of exposed terrain to a position from which he was able to kill the gunner with accurate carbine fire, wound the assistant gunner, and neutralize the weapon. Then, rejoining the other two members of his patrol, he moved to a nearby building to capture six enemy riflemen, enabling him to move his platoon up the ridge and organize its defenses.