The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private First Class Marvin O. Lunden (MCSN: 338231), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a Rifleman in a Platoon of Company C, First Battalion, Twenty-ninth Marines, SIXTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 11 June 1945. With his platoon suffering heavy casualties and pinned down as a result of intense knee-mortar fire from the forward slope of a ridge during his company’s attack on a strongly-defended enemy position on Oroku Peninsula, Private First Class Lunden voluntarily armed himself with grenades and, moving forward through the heavy hostile automatic fire which seriously wounded him, succeeded in destroying the Japanese mortar, thereby enabling the platoon to attain its objective. His indomitable fighting spirit, fortitude and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.