The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier’s Medal to Staff Sergeant Jerry Seidel, United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy while serving as a member of Staff and Faculty Battery, United States Army Artillery and Missile School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on 10 September 1964, at Lake Elmer Thomas in the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma. Sergeant Seidel demonstrated fortitude, decisiveness, and complete disregard for his safety to save the lives of two fellow soldiers who were in immediate danger of drowning after their boat had capsized at night in a lake known to contain poisonous snakes and heavy underwater vegetation. Despite the hazards and lack of visibility, Sergeant Seidel unhesitatingly entered the water, pushing a handmade raft ahead of himself, and swam to the area from which the cries for help were heard. Upon reaching the exhausted men, he discovered that one man was entangled in the underwater weeds and that the other was experiencing severe leg cramps. After encouraging the men and assisting them in hanging onto the raft, he succeeded in towing the victims to the safety of the shore. Sergeant Seidel’s profound concern for his fellow man and prompt and heroic action in this emergency are in the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the military service. [This award supersedes the award of the Army Commendation Medal to Sergeant Seidel for meritorious achievement on 19 September 1964 as announced in General Orders Number 36, Headquarters, United States Army Artillery and Missile Center, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, dated 23 February 1965.]