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 (Armor) Willis K. Dorey (ASN: 0-1287493), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 27th Infantry Division at Saipan, Mariana Islands, on 20 June and 6 July 1944. Lieutenant Dorey was given a mission of supporting the attack of the infantry in the Nafutan Point sector. He directed his tanks across a heavily entrenched enemy area. During this action, his radio transmitter became inoperative, whereupon he dismounted from his tank and gave orders through the microphone on the back of another tank to be transmitted throughout the platoon. He was under constant enemy machine gun fire but was successful in getting his orders to all his tanks, thus enabling the advance to continue. Later in the campaign his platoon was operating in the Tanapag Harbor sector, when he observed one of the tanks hit by a magnetic mine which had been thrown from an enemy trench. Lieutenant Dorey moved his tank to a position between the trench and the disabled tank to cover the evacuation of the crew. Since he was so close to the enemy, he could not depress his tank guns to fire into the trench, whereupon he opened the turret doors and fired point blank with his sub-machine gun at the Japanese. When he had expended his ammunition, he tossed hand grenades into the enemy trench.