The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier’s Medal to Airman Second Class Clayton W. Erickson, United States Air Force, for heroism involving voluntary risk of life on the evening of 18 November 1951 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. As a member of a crash rescue team, 6161st Installations Squadron, Airman Erickson, while off duty, voluntarily joined a crew proceeding to the location of a B-29 type aircraft which had crashed on take-off carrying a full load of bombs. Arriving at the scene, Airman Erickson, although aware of the imminent possibility of explosion, rushed into the danger area and attempted to remove the unconscious body of a fire truck driver from the cab, where he had been pinned by a previous explosion. Airman Erickson’s voluntary response to the emergency reflected heroism and devotion to duty of an extraordinary degree. By his willingness to endanger his life to save another, Airman Erickson brought great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force.