(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Norman Lawrence Inch, II, United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving with the 111th Sapper Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 17 March 2007, at Mosul, Iraq. Sergeant Inch, a combat engineer, was conducting a routine route clearance mission when an improvised explosive device struck another vehicle in his patrol wounding four of his comrades and leaving them trapped inside the vehicle. Without hesitation, Sergeant Inch and his team dismounted from their vehicle, exposing themselves to enemy fire, as they moved to the disabled vehicle to provide aid to the wounded Soldiers. Faced with continuous small arms fire and the threat of around 30 armed insurgents approaching their location, Sergeant Inch instructed his team to return fire at the approaching enemy, killing several of them. Upon arriving at the destroyed vehicle, Inch used his back to hold the heavily-armored, 300-pound door open for nearly 20 minutes as the four wounded Soldiers were removed and carried to a protected area. Sergeant Inch remained vigilant and continued to fire his weapon against approaching enemy forces despite the precarious position of the destroyed vehicle, continual exposure to enemy fire and his own physical efforts to keep the door open. Sergeant Inch’s gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.