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 Ludwig Berndt (ASN: RA-19410408), United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy as assistant instructor and platoon sergeant on 4 February 1966 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, while his unit was engaged in training with hand grenades. Staff Sergeant Berndt, upon observing a live fragmentary hand grenade fall from the hand of a basic trainee, with complete disregard for his own safety, unhesitatingly and quickly retrieved the activated device and threw it back handed over the concrete retaining wall a fraction of a second prior to it exploding, at the same time pulling the trainee to the ground shielding him from the explosion. Staff Sergeant Berndt’s alertness, professional ability, and heroism have brought great credit upon himself and the United States Army.