The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to First Lieutenant Jesse P. Julian (MCSN: 0-20726), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism as a Rifle Platoon Leader of Company C, First Battalion, Twenty-Seventh Marines, FIFTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 28 February 1945. When a surprise enemy attack forced the leading elements of his company to withdraw under heavy machine-gun fire, First Lieutenant Julian immediately took control of the retreating men and, acting on his own initiative, personally led his platoon in a counterattack to regain and hold the ground previously won. Following this action, he skillfully led a patrol up a cliff and on to a ridge line which had been untenable throughout the entire day. Thoroughly reconnoitering the ground in the face of constant Japanese sniper fire, he then established contact with the unit on the right and safely led his patrol back over the ridge line. After securing more men, he returned to the cliff and established a defense, thereby preventing the enemy’s mass infiltration into the lines throughout the night. By his unfaltering courage, presence of mind and skillful leadership under fire, First Lieutenant Julian served as a constant inspiration to the men in his company and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.