The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting Legion of Merit to Pharmacist’s Mate First Class Joseph Yaccarino, Jr., United States Coast Guard, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States while serving on the U.S.S. NEWELL on 20 April 1944 in the Mediterranean. Subsequent to an enemy air attack the U.S.S. NEWELL was engaged in picking up one hundred and nineteen survivors of the U.S.S. LANSDALE. During and after this rescue Pharmacist’s Mate First Class Yaccarino together with a chief Pharmacist’s Mate aboard his ship administered all medical treatments without the aid of a doctor. Several of the survivors were unconscious and had to be resuscitated and several others had fractured limbs; many were stretcher cases and all had been in oil polluted water for a period of one to four hours. In addition to manning the after dressing station at which treatment for shock, immersion and minor injuries was given, Pharmacist’s Mate First Class Yaccarino descended into the water assisted in rigging those with broken limbs into Stokes litters before they were hoisted aboard and while in the water administered hypodermics to ease the pain of their injuries.