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 (Infantry) Robert M. Fitzgerald (ASN: 0-1309706), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company D, 339th Infantry Regiment, 85th Infantry Division, in action on 21 September 1944, in Italy. Upon being informed that a strong enemy force was in position upon the forward slope of the next hill, Lieutenant Fitzgerald, after moving forward to make a personal reconnaissance, rushed his machine gun platoon to the most forward positions and readied his weapons for action. Crawling forward to an exposed observation post, he directed fire on approximately fifty enemy forming for a counterattack and succeeded in killing twenty and wounding ten and forcing the remainder to flee in disorder. Leaving his observation post, Lieutenant Fitzgerald crawled through a heavy enemy retaliatory artillery and mortar barrage to another emplacement, and upon discovering two enemy soldiers placing a machine gun into action, he opened fire with his carbine, killing both of them. The aggressive action of Lieutenant Fitzgerald contributed immeasurably to the routing of the enemy forces and reflects the highest traditions of the American Infantryman.