The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Aviation Machinist’s Mate Third Class Jesse H. Coplin, United States Naval Reserve, for heroic conduct at Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia, on 17 September 1943. Seeing a large group of depth charges enveloped in flames and about to explode in the vicinity of a gasoline truck, Aviation Machinist’s Mate Third Class Coplin rushed to the truck and drove it away before the depth charges exploded. He limited to a substantial degree the havoc wrought by the ensuing explosion but was seriously injured.