The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Carpenter’s Mate Second Class William C. Hartgrove, United States Navy, for heroic conduct during World War II. Carpenter’s Mate Second Class Hartgrove took part in valorous and effective rescue work during a dive bombing raid on an advance naval base in the Solomon Islands. When a landing craft was bombed and set afire, he and a comrade swam out to the craft, while it was being beached, to rescue a wounded man hanging by a line forward. Returning to the shore, they boarded a lighter rigged with a fire pump and brought it out to the burning vessel. Despite the intense heat and suffocating fumes, Carpenter’s Mate Second Class Hartgrove jettisoned live ammunition from turrets and assisted in removing two injured men to a small rescue boat.