The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Commander ***** *****, United States Navy, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy as Squadron Commander on 1 April 2003. Lieutenant Commander ***** led his elite unit in a daring raid on a known Saddam Fedayeen stronghold where U.S. prisoners were being held. Lieutenant Commander *****’s bold leadership during this historic rescue achieved strategic effects that were felt across the entire United States. His orders were to rescue the U.S. soldier and enable a battalion sized force to clear a large Iraqi paramilitary force that had been using a hospital as a staging base in the town of An Nasiriyah. Serving as the vanguard of the U.S. attack, Lieutenant Commander ***** led his squadron in a brilliant surgical air and ground assault to seize key areas of the hospital, then gleaned information from detained personnel to rapidly direct his force to the U.S. soldier inside the enormous hospital. Locating the wounded U.S. Prisoner of War (POW), his team administered immediate medical care and transported the soldier to an awaiting helicopter and freedom. The strategic significance of the first successful rescue of a U.S. POW is epic. The rescue devastated Iraqi resolve and bolstered U.S. and international support for the campaign. By his bold leadership, wise judgment, and complete dedication to duty, Lieutenant Commander ***** reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.