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 Fourth Class Peter J. Ryder, United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy on 30 December 1968 by displaying complete disregard for his own personal safety to save the lives of three young children floundering helplessly in the icy waters of a lake located in Grafenwohr, Germany. Specialist Ryder was en route from a Grafenwohr training site with other members of his squad in their five-ton dump truck to pick up building material for an engineer project. As the vehicle proceeded through Grafenwohr, Specialist Ryder noticed children playing on a lake in town.. As he watched three of the children fell through the ice into the lake. Immediately aware of the sudden danger, Specialist Ryder, along with his squad leader, sprang from the truck and raced to the edge of the lake. Specialist Ryder then left his squad leader and ran around the other side of the lake to approach the children from the opposite direction. Disregarding his own safety for that of the children, Specialist Ryder immediately flopped down on the ice and crawled as quickly as possible for the bobbing children. The two soldiers quickly pulled the three children from the 9 foot deep freezing water. The children, once pulled from the water, were helped to shore by an unidentified German boy. The ice on the lake was very thin at the German boy also broke through into the frigid waters. The team of Specialist Ryder and his squad leader, already exhausted and wet, unhesitatingly leaped to the aid of the young German boy. After the young German was pulled from the water, the two soldiers started to leave the lake but, because of his weight, the ice broke beneath the squad leader and he fell into the freezing water. Specialist Ryder, quickly realizing that his squad leader was in grave danger, immediately crawled over and aided the soldier off the ice and to the safety of the shore. The exceptional heroism displayed by Specialist Ryder’s absolute disregard for his own personal safety, in his desire to aid others, has earned him the respect and admiration of all with whom he serves, and reflects great credit upon him, the Division, and the United States Army.