The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain LaVerne W. Wagner (MCSN: 0-8541), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer of Company K, Third Battalion, Twenty-third Marines, FOURTH Marine Division in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands on 12 March 1945. When his company was counter attacked by a large number of the Japanese who had forced the unit on his right to withdraw, Captain Wagner continued to hold his precarious position and sent out stretcher teams to evacuate four severely wounded men who were lying in front of his lines. After two stretcher bearers were wounded while endeavoring to reach the casualties he braved the intense enemy small arms and mortar fire that had the entire line pinned down to lead the stretcher teams to the casualties and succeeded in evacuating them without further loss. With only a short time before darkness, he skillfully moved his badly depleted company, still under heavy hostile fire, to make solid contact with units on both flanks and directed his forces in repulsing several small scale Banzai attacks, preventing penetration of our lines. His outstanding leadership, courage and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.