The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star (Army Award) to Corporal Merrill R. Bellman (Beliman) (MCSN: 289274), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the Fourth Marine Raider Battalion in action at Vangunu, Solomon Islands, in deliberately exposing himself to the enemy’s fire in order to locate their positions, and in effectively directing his machine gun emplacements, on 1 July 1943.