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 Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers) Joseph B. Milgram, Jr. (ASN: 0-1115035), United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving with the 51st Engineer Combat Battalion, in Belgium. First Lieutenant Milgram led a crew of five men across a bridge covered by intense enemy fire and directed the installation of demolition charges beneath the span. After the charges had been placed, he ordered his men to return to their unit while he remained behind to personally prepare the fuse. Upon completion of his hazardous mission, he waded the river and rejoined his group. When enemy forces threatened to seize the bridge a short while later, First Lieutenant Milgram, while subjected to heavy machine gun and small arms fire, crawled to the bridge, detonated the charge and destroyed the structure.