The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit with Combat “V” to Commander Charles Ballance Brooks, Jr. (NSN: 0-70107), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Communications Officer on the Staff of Commander Task Force THIRTY-EIGHT. Commander Brooks, by his careful and thorough planning of the communications of the Task Force and Air Group, and by his services as Staff Duty Officer on the bridge during the combat operations, contributed very greatly to the successes attained in the following action: Buka-Bonis Strike 1 to 2 November 1943, First Rabaul Strike 5 November 1943, and the Second Rabaul Strike 11 November 1943. These successes during which he rendered such conspicuous and outstanding services, resulted in rendering inoperative the Buka-Bonis airfields during the period of our occupation of new bases in the Bougainville Island Area. In the First Rabaul Strike, the combined air groups of the U.S.S. SARATOGA and the U.S.S. PRINCETON attacked and severely damaged a strong enemy cruiser force assembled there for the purpose of attacking and destroying our forces occupying new bases in the Bougainville Island Area. This strike was made against the cruisers while they were under the protection of the most strongly protected enemy base in the South Pacific Area. The mission was so successfully accomplished that the enemy surface forces made no further effort, in force, to interfere with our operations. The Second Rabaul Strike was made by the U.S.S. SARATOGA and the U.S.S. PRINCETON air groups in conjunction with similar attacks by another carrier task force from a different position than Task Force THIRTY-EIGHT. This second strike added to the damage inflicted. In this second strike, the U.S.S. SARATOGA and the U.S.S. PRINCETON air groups spearheaded the attacks made by the other carriers. (Commander Brooks is authorized to wear the Combat “V”.)