The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Technical Sergeant John P. Mangan (ASN: 31410455), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company E, 2d Battalion, 253d Infantry Regiment, 63d Infantry Division, in action on 8 April 1945, in the vicinity of Stein, Germany. During the course of the attack, many of the men were held up by machine gun and sniper fire. Sergeant Mangan, observing that the casualties were mounting, exposed himself to the heavy fire and rallied the men, leading them on in the attack. He placed the mortar and machine gun squads to give the riflemen the best possible coverage so that they could take their immediate objective. Sergeant Mangan was seriously wounded in the action but did not permit himself to be evacuated until the objective was captured and his unit had assumed a strong defensive position. The courage and determination displayed by Sergeant Mangan is in keeping with the finest tradition of the Armed Forces of the United States.