(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Chaplain’s Corps) Robert J. Hearn (ASN: 0-51131), United States Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving as a Chaplain with the 158th Regimental Combat Team (Separate), attached to the 41st Infantry Division; and then with the 1st Infantry Regiment, in New Guinea and the Philippine Islands, in February and March 1945. On one occasion in February, Chaplain Hearn was wounded in the leg while carrying wounded soldiers to safety. Days later in 2 March 1945, he was conducting mass in a abandoned house when the Japanese sprayed the room with machinegun fire and rushed the house. Chaplain Hearn and two other men spent six hours hiding in a closet while the Japanese searched the house. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Chaplain Hearn, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.