The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Technical Sergeant John P. Gietz, United States Army, for gallantry in action in connection with a military operation against an armed enemy while serving with Company C, 387th Infantry Regiment, 97th Infantry Division. While leading two squads in an assault on the town of Busch, Germany, on 11 April 1945, Sergeant Gietz and his men came under heavy machine gun fire from a building at the edge of the town. He fearlessly led the attack across 150 yards of open terrain in the face of heavy fire to the building which was set afire. After clearing the town, Sergeant Gietz and his men were subjected to sniper and machine gun fire from a nearby woods. He unhesitatingly went forward, under fire, to reconnoiter the enemy positions and upon returning, personally guided a platoon of tanks to a position from which they could place fire on the enemy strong points. Sergeant Gietz so accurately directed fire from the tanks that 6 enemy machine gun positions were silenced. His coolness under fire and gallantry on this occasion reflects great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces.