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 Michael Dawida (ASN: 33419836), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company I, 3d Battalion, 254th Infantry Regiment, 63d Infantry Division, in action on 17 April 1945, in the vicinity of Windisch Brachbach, Germany. The company moved into the attack with four tanks in support. After covering about half the distance to the objective, they were held up by heavy machine gun fire. The company commander tried to signal the tanks forward but his signals were misunderstood by the tank commander. Sergeant Dawida, seeing this and disregarding his own safety, ran across an open field for over five hundred yards under heavy machine gun and self-propelled fire to the tanks, and conveyed the company commander’s order. At this time a heavy barrage of self-propelled shells came in and Sergeant Dawida was killed in the performance of this task. The gallantry and devotion to duty displayed by Sergeant Dawida reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the Armed Forces of the United States.