The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander Paul Frederick Foster, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession on the occasion of the turret disaster on board the U.S.S. TRENTON on 20 October 1924. Noting the difficulties of rescuing the men in the turret through the access door, or of extinguishing the fire from the forecastle, and with total disregard for his own safety, Lieutenant Commander Foster entered the turret from the upper handling rooms, took the fire hose which was passed to him from without and extinguished the fire in the turret and in the clothing of the members of the crew.