The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Chief Gunner’s Mate Judd M. Powell, United States Navy, for heroic conduct during the hours of darkness on the early morning of 18 November 1959 while serving on board U.S.S. AMMEN (DD-527) in the Formosa Strait. When heavy seas washed two men and several life rafts overboard from an accompanying ship, AMMEN instituted an immediate search and shortly thereafter, maneuvered alongside a life raft containing one of the victims, who was severely injured and unable to help himself. With AMMEN rolling heavily and threatening to crush and swamp the raft, Chief Powell, observing that a rescuer who had gone over the side to assist the victim was having trouble, unhesitatingly leaped onto the raft and, with the aid of his shipmate, succeeded in placing the injured man into a stretcher and in hoisting him to the safety of the ship.