The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Second Lieutenant Thomas F. Maitland (MCSN: 0-13511), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while attached to the Second Marine Raider Battalion during action against enemy Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, from 4 November to 4 December 1942. On 11 November, Second Lieutenant Maitland, commanding a platoon of Company C which had the point, suddenly contacted a numerically superior Japanese force. By his sound tactical judgment and courageous leadership in the disposition of the point and the subsequent employment of his platoon, he not only extricated his company from an extremely hazardous situation but turned around what might have been a disaster into a highly successful attack against the enemy. By his daring initiative and heroic devotion to duty he contributed in a great measure to the success of this engagement.