The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private First Class John Pershing Hugghins (ASN: 38073321), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving as a Medical Aidman with the 27th Infantry Division at Saipan, Mariana Islands, on 3 July 1944. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, Private First Class Hugghins went through artillery fire to render first aid to three casualties. A few days later he moved out of his fox hole in the moonlight and crawled to the fox hole of a wounded man, rendering first aid, and took care of the casualty until dawn, when the patient was evacuated. This was done under continuous enemy fire. On another occasion he moved into an open area under heavy enemy mortar and rifle fire to administer first aid to casualties when a self-propelled mount was struck by enemy mortar fire.