The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Sergeant [then Staff Sergeant] Lester V. Marr (ASN: 36427001), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company A, 7th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division, in Germany on 11 April 1945. First Sergeant Marr and his squad were pinned down by machine gun and heavy artillery fire. Seeing one of his men wounded, he ran across an open field and succeeded in evacuating the man to safety. When his platoon leader was killed he assumed full command of the platoon and held off strong counterattacks. The order came for the platoon to be withdrawn and Sergeant Marr accomplished this without the loss of a man, many of whom were already wounded. His devotion to duty and bravery under fire were inspiring and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States.