The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private First Class Lawrence C. Kimball (MCSN: 811864), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a Member of a Combat Patrol of the Second Battalion, Eighth Marines, SECOND Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Tinian, Mariana Islands, 20 August 1944. When the combat patrol was ambushed by an enemy force and received severe casualties, Private First Class Kimball voluntarily went to the aid of a seriously wounded comrade although the patrol was continually taking heavy, close-range enemy rifle fire. Turned back once in his rescue mission, he succeeded in his second attempt to reach the wounded man and, determining that the wound had been fatal, retrieved the dead man’s rifle, ammunition and other gear, bringing them back to our lines to prevent their use by the Japanese against our forces. His gallant fighting spirit and courageous devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon Private First Class Kimball and the United States Naval Service.