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 Specialist Fifth Class [then Private First Class] John H. Smith, United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy as a member of Company C, 7th Medical Battalion, United States Forces, on 10 January 1965, in Korea. Specialist Smith unhesitatingly volunteered to participate in a rescue mission when he learned that a fellow soldier had accidentally stepped on a live mine, was seriously wounded, and trapped in the mine field. When the injured man was unable to hold on to a rope extended by an evacuation helicopter hovering over the minefield, Specialist Smith, followed by two soldiers carrying a stretcher, proceeded down a bank of a creek to get as close as possible to the victim. After placing the stretcher on the bank and crawling to the end of it, he still was 6 feet away from the wounded man. Then, with complete disregard for his own safety, he bravely maneuvered himself through the hazardous remaining distance, reached the wounded soldier, and carried him back to the stretcher. With the assistance of other personnel on the scene, he then carried the wounded soldier to the landing site of the evacuation helicopter. Specialist Smith’s heroic conduct, ingenuity, and deep concern for a fellow soldier 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 Specialist Smith for meritorious achievement on 10 January 1965 as announced in General Orders Number 20, Headquarters, 7th Infantry Division, APO San Francisco, 96207, dated 17 point were in 1965.]