The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Shipfitter Fireman Cyril B. Madden, United States Navy, for heroic action while serving aboard U.S.S. BETELGEUSE (AK-260) at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on 7 January 1966. Upon being notified by the Command Duty Officer that two men had been overcome by fumes while working in the tank of a jet fuel barge dry-docked in the shipyard, Shipfitter Fireman Madden donned an oxygen breathing apparatus (OBA) and climbed down a ladder into the tank. After securing a belt with an attached retrieving line around one of the unconscious men, he helped the other rescuers at the top of the tank pull the victim out. Before he could attach the safety belt to the other unconscious man, Shipfitter Fireman Madden encountered difficulty with his OBA and had to leave the tank. Another man effected the rescue of the second victim. Through his prompt and courageous actions in an emergency, Shipfitter Fireman Madden was directly responsible for saving a life.