The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Second Lieutenant John A. Rowe (MCSN: 0-52166), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as a Platoon Commander of Company D, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in the Republic of Korea on 31 May 1952. When his unit was subjected to intense hostile small-arms, grenade and mortar fire while participating in a combat patrol, Second Lieutenant Rowe, despite wounds in both legs, constantly exposed himself to the enemy fire to deploy his platoon for an assault. Although his carbine was blown from his hands by the explosion of a hostile grenade, he continued to supervise and direct his unit in the face of withering enemy fire. When a grenade landed among a group of his men, he bravely grasped the deadly missile in a daring attempt to hurl it from the area and, despite serious wounds to his hands and face from the resultant explosion, urged his men forward in the assault until he lost consciousness. By his courageous leadership, valiant fighting spirit and selfless devotion to the fulfillment of his mission in the face of overwhelming odds, Second Lieutenant Rowe served to inspire all who observed him and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.