The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Staff Sergeant Fred Trotter (ASN: 34098461), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company E, 2d Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, in action in the vicinity of San Vittore, Italy, on 7 January 1944. After wresting important positions from the enemy, Staff Sergeant Trotter’s platoon was subjected to three furious enemy counterattacks. As the last enemy assault reached its peak of fury, the platoon found itself running low on ammunition. Staff Sergeant Trotter unhesitatingly left the trench where he and five of his riflemen were firing on the advancing enemy, and in spite of enemy fire directed at him, ran from one position to another gathering bandoliers of ammunition from the bodies of his men who had been killed in the previous counterattacks. As he picked up the tenth bandoleer of ammunition he was shot in the leg by enemy machine gun fire. Despite his severe wound, he crawled thirty yards back to his trench with the ten bandoleers of ammunition. As he raised himself to toss the ammunition into the trench, he was struck in the head by enemy machine gun fire and was killed instantly. Staff Sergeant Trotter’s intrepid performance provided ammunition to repulse the final German assault, and his courage under fire reflects the finest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States.