The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier’s Medal to Private Frederick H. Wilson (ASN: R-1845622), United States Army Air Corps, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy, while serving as an air mechanic, second class, with the Air Corps, in extinguishing a fire in a burning airplane at Mitchel Field, New York, on 5 July 1938. Noticing that a fire had started in the right wing of an airplane which was being taxied by him to a position near several other parked airplanes, Private Wilson turned off the fuel valves and the master ignition switch of the ship, leaped to the ground, and picking up a fire extinguisher played its contents on the blaze. On the arrival of the fire truck, Private Wilson, with complete disregard of his personal safety, well knowing that all fuel tanks of the airplane were full and that there was imminent danger of an explosion, ran to the truck, seized a hose and played fire extinguishing chemical therefrom on the blazing wing until the fire was extinguished, after which he again took a hand extinguisher, climbed into the still smoking ship and emptied its contents into the site of the blaze. The heroism displayed by Private Wilson on this occasion averted possible loss of human life and prevented the destruction of valuable Government property.