The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Private Warren W. Welch (MCSN: 817713), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism as a Member of a Rifle Platoon while serving with Company B, First Battalion, Twenty-First Marines, THIRD Marine Division, in action against the enemy on Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on 8 March 1945. Volunteering to silence two hostile pillboxes holding up the advance of his unit with deadly automatic rife, Private First Class Welch coolly moved forward of his lines, destroyed one of the pillboxes with a well-placed demotion charge, and eliminated the personnel of the other emplacement with accurately hurled grenades. Then, locating a Japanese mortar from his position, he returned to his platoon and relayed the location of the enemy gun to the attached 81-mm. mortar platoon. Undeterred by hostile mortar bracketing the area, he seized an automatic rifle and a belt of ammunition and, again going out in front of his lines, succeeded in pinning down the crew of the enemy mortar until the blasting fire from our mortars destroyed the Japanese emplacement. His bold, aggressive tactics and dauntless determination in the face of grave peril reflect the highest credit upon Private First Class Welch and the United States Naval Service.