The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel Carl A. Youngdale (MCSN: 0-5454), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer of the Fourth Battalion, Fourteenth Marines, FOURTH Marine Division, during operations against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 19 February 1945. While leading his reconnaissance party ashore, Lieutenant Colonel Youngdale’s boat was taken under fire by heavy artillery and mortars which continued to place heavy concentrations on the party when it hit the beach. Exposing himself to the intense and accurate fire, Lieutenant Colonel Youngdale reorganized and dispersed his group in order to present smaller targets to the enemy and, although several of his men sustained wounds, undoubtedly saved several lives by his action. Crawling forward in the face of machine-gun fire, he located a position with a better defilade, returned to the original location and led his men forward. He then made a reconnaissance of the designated Battalion position area through heavy mine fields to determine the locations for his firing batteries. His resourcefulness, able leadership and courageous devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.