The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Private First Class Lawrence D. Rogers (MCSN: 288035), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty while serving as Leader of a Demolition Squad of the Third Engineer Battalion, THIRD Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, in the Volcano Islands, 12 March 1945. Quick to act when one of his squad was seriously wounded by a sudden barrage of slashing machine-gun fire, Private First Class Rogers instantly ordered the remainder of his men to take cover and, then guiding a corpsman to the fallen Marine, aided in carrying him to the rear. Subsequently observing the direction of fire as the cave emplaced weapon again opened up on his position, he fearlessly braved the shattered bursts to advance upon the hostile installation and, approaching close to the opening, hurled a heavy charge with a five-second fuse attached into the cave entrance. Undaunted when the enemy returned the deadly missile, he caught up the charge, dashed forward, and again threw it into the cave, sealing the position and annihilating the enemy therein. Prepared to counter any sudden hostile move, he made his way back to the rear, rejoined the waiting corpsman and was attempting to evacuate the wounded Marine to an aid station when a second Japanese machine-gun opened fire, killing the man on the stretcher. Ordering the corpsman into a shellhole, Private First Class Rogers advanced on the second cave, fired several rounds of ammunition into the opening and succeeded in killing the hostile gun crew before he himself fell, mortally wounded. Cool and courageous, he fought with determined valor in the face of savage opposition and his staunch leadership, dynamic aggressiveness and self-sacrificing devotion to duty throughout reflect the highest credit upon Private First Class Rogers and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.