The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Arthur J. Rochette, Jr. (ASN: 20234925), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company E, 2d Battalion, 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, in the **** River Sector, France, 31 July 1944. When an intense concentration of enemy fire forced his platoon to withdraw, leaving two wounded men lying exposed to further injury and possible death, Sergeant Rochette, a squad leader, disregarded the enemy fire, and assisted by another enlisted man, improvised a litter, crossed the dangerous terrain and evacuated one of the wounded men. Then, assisted by another noncommissioned officer, he again crossed the dangerous ground to evacuate the second wounded man to safety. The initiative, courage and resourcefulness of Sergeant Rochette, and his gallantry in action, are in accord with the military traditions of the United States.