The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Corps of Engineers) Leif J. Sverdrup, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a position of great responsibility in Papua, New Guinea, during the period 23 July 1942 to 23 January 1943. During the Papuan campaign, Colonel Sverdrup personally executed numerous reconnaissance missions in New Guinea, over difficult mountains and through swamp and jungle, far forward of the areas occupied by our troops, in order to secure vital information needed for engineering operations. Utilizing native labor, which he recruited and trained, equipped only with hand tools, he constructed with great rapidity a series of air fields urgently needed for the transport by air of troops and supplies to distant and otherwise inaccessible areas. His success in completion of these essential advance airfields, accomplished under severe physical hardship and at great personal risk, made possible the effective coordination of land and air forces and contributed materially to the success of the Papuan campaign.