The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Second Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Staff Sergeant] John H. Kerins (ASN: 0-2014865), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 255th Infantry Regiment, 63d Infantry Division, in action on 5 March 1945, in the vicinity of Gudingen, Germany. Despite the intense enemy fire, Lieutenant Kerins exposed himself many times during the attack to administer first aid to and evacuate the wounded, as medical corpsmen were not available. After reaching the objective and still under heavy artillery and mortar fire, Lieutenant Kerins left his foxhole and advanced ahead of his platoon to a position where he could secure flanking fire on an advancing enemy self-propelled gun. The action by Lieutenant Kerins allowed elements of rifle companies to move forward in the assault, thus forcing the enemy to withdraw. The intrepidity with which Lieutenant Kerins performed this heroic act was an inspiration to all those who witnessed his action and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.