The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Lieutenant Carlos Kenny Dale, United States Coast Guard, for heroic conduct while serving aboard the U.S.S. RICKETTS during rescue operations following a collision between the S.S. EL COSTON and the S.S. MURFREESBORO in the Atlantic Area on the night of 25 – 26 February 1944. When the crew members of both severely damaged vessels were forced by raging gasoline fires to abandon ship, he voluntarily went over the side of his heavily rolling rescue ship and despite the rough seas and burning gasoline which covered a large part of the water worked tirelessly and with utter disregard for his own personal safety to aid the exhausted survivors in reaching and climbing the nets rigged along the sides of the rescue vessel.