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 Russell L. Burner (ASN: 17091322), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 15th Engineer Battalion 9th Infantry Division, in action against the enemy on 13 October 1944, in the vicinity of Germeter, Germany. Displaying his devotion to duty and aggressive initiative, Sergeant Burner was in charge of a mine detector party clearing a path for tanks. Detecting a mine block on the trail, the men attempted to remove it but were subjected to intense enemy machine gun fire and forced to withdraw. With complete disregard for personal safety, Sergeant Burner exposed himself to the heavy enemy fire to ret urn to the obstacle and continue removing the mines until the road was cleared. Sergeant Burner’s devotion to duty, aggressive initiative, and courageous actions contributed materially to the success of the operations and were a credit to himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.