(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 Kenneth Earl Thomas, Jr., United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a team leader and Cavalry Scout for Troop C, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 16 February 2007, when he and members of his platoon were ambushed as they floated down the Tigris River on patrol boats as part of a joint mission with Iraqi police, near Falahat, Iraq. Four Iraqi police patrol boats, made up of mixed crews with both Troop C Soldiers and Iraqi Police, set out on a mission to keep the waterways clear of insurgents trafficking weapons. Tips received indicated insurgents were using the river to transport weapons and gain access to areas from which they could launch attacks on civilians, Iraqi Security Forces and coalition troops. The plan also included checking houses near the river banks in a search for weapons and suspected insurgents. Sergeant Thomas was in the second boat, and his platoon leader was in the first boat, with two other boats following not far behind, when they were hit by enemy fire from well-positioned insurgents in a carefully planned attack. Sergeant Thomas’ platoon leader, First Lieutenant John Dolan, ordered the boats to turn around, but it was too late. The boats were hit hard in their exposed position on the waters. The first boat got hit and crashed into an island, and then Sergeant Thomas’ boat hit a sand bar and became stuck, leaving the scouts and the Iraqi Police dangerously exposed. Sergeant Thomas manned the boat’s PKC heavy machine gun and began firing, continuing to reload until he ran out of ammunition. Then Sergeant Thomas an Staff Sergeant Allen Johns abandoned the boat to swim for a small island. With their departure the boat gained enough lift to free itself and two Iraqi Policemen tried to find another route, moving to the side of the island where the scouts again boarded, and the small boat headed for shore. Still under relentless fire, after reaching the shore the scouts and Iraqi Police took temporary in a small crater. Sergeant Thomas went out to scout for an escape route, finding a cinderblock wall that could provide some cover. The route however was blocked by down power lines running across the fence with sparks evident. Sergeant Thomas ran to the fence under fire and cut a hole using wire cutters, ignoring the painful electrical shocks he had to endure to complete his task. The scouts and Iraqi Police then raced through the fence to a house where there was better cover, and continued to engage the enemy until helicopters from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade arrived on the scene to evacuate the Soldiers and Iraqi Policemen. Sergeant Thomas’ 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, his unit, and the United States Army.