The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Private First Class George Van Daele (MCSN: 881251), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving as a Group Leader of Company K, Third Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 17 June 1945. When his unit deployed to accomplish its assigned mission of securing commanding ground on the flank of a newly won Regimental objective, Private First Class Van Daele moved up the slope toward the objective and reached the peak just as a sudden burst of fire from a perfectly concealed hostile pillbox severely wounded an automatic rifleman who was in additional danger from an enemy grenade which landed near him. Unhesitatingly throwing himself across the wounded man, he successfully protected the casualty from the fragments caused by the explosion of the weapon. Immediately opening fire into the aperture of the pillbox, he succeeded in neutralizing the Japanese fire and enabling a flame thrower to engage the emplacement and destroy its occupants, thereby permitting the attack to continue. His resourcefulness and courageous initiative in voluntarily risking his life to save that of another reflect the highest credit on Private First Class Van Daele and the United States Naval Service.