The President of the United States of America, under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Sherman William Ensley, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving Commanding a Mortar Platoon of Company H, 2d Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2d Infantry Division. First Lieutenant Ensley distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Kummul-gol, Korea, on 18 May 1951. On that date, the Mortar Platoon of Company H, commanded by Lieutenant Ensley, was surrounded by a numerically superior hostile force and cut off from the remainder of the battalion. Determined not to surrender nor to permit his weapons to fall into the hands of the enemy, he rallied his men and, heedless of the murderous hostile fire, led them in a daring breakthrough of the enemy encirclement. Upon rejoining his company, he found that he was the last remaining officer in the company and that much of the company equipment and several vehicles had been left in the previously-held positions. Quickly reorganizing the company, he led his men to the old positions, recovered the equipment and vehicles and several wounded men that had been left in the abandoned positions. Although constantly under intense enemy fire, Lieutenant Ensley successfully led his men back to the company assembly area and rejoined the battalion in its gallant stand which resulted in the infliction of staggering losses on the enemy and the subsequent dispersal of the hostile forces. The extraordinary heroism displayed by First Lieutenant Ensley on this occasion reflects the greatest credit on himself and is in keeping with the high traditions of the military service.