The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander [then Lieutenant] Wilfred Benjamin Tatro, Jr., United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while Commanding Motor Torpedo Boat FOUR HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE (PT-489), in action against enemy Japanese forces during the rescue of a Navy Fighter Pilot shot down in Wasile Bay, Halmahera Island. On the afternoon of 16 September 1944, after attempts at rescue by airplane had been turned back by hostile anti-aircraft fire, Lieutenant Commander Tatro requested permission to take part in a rescue by surface craft. Although the Torpedo Boats were twice driven back by intense fire from numerous coastal defense guns lining an 11-mile strait at the entrance of the passage, Lieutenant Tatro finally succeeded in guiding his boat through the narrow approaches to the bay, braving intense concentrations of Japanese fire for two-and-one-half hours until the stranded airman was rescued on the third attempt. The exceptional bravery, aggressive leadership, and outstanding devotion to duty during this perilous operation displayed by Lieutenant Commander Tatro were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.