The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Ordinary Seaman Clifford F. Bennett, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary heroism on the occasion of the explosion of the Gillespie shell-loading plant on 4 and 5 October. While the explosions were still continuing, Ordinary Seaman Bennett drove a motor car on trip after trip through a barrage of flying shell splinters, carrying out the wounded and dead and carrying in guards. Although the door of his car was blown off and the car riddled, he persisted in his work throughout the night.