The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant William H. Lister, United States Army, for gallantry in action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force on 11 January 1969 while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Troop A, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Republic of Vietnam. On this date while returning from a mine sweeping operation, Sergeant Lister’s platoon suddenly came under an intense barrage of enemy small arms, automatic weapons and antitank grenade fire from a large enemy force. Seeing that several of the platoon’s vehicles had been disabled and a large number of the crew members had been wounded, he immediately radioed for reinforcements and set up a defensive perimeter to protect the friendly casualties. He then began driving from one damaged vehicle to the next in order to extract the wounded and move them to the defensive position. While he was maneuvering through the hostile fire, his vehicle was suddenly hit by an enemy rocket-propelled grenade, wounding him and two of his crew members. After killing two of the enemy, he moved his wounded comrades to the defensive perimeter. When he had called for evacuation helicopters and distributed ammunition to his men, he began moving from one part of the armored column to another in order to keep pressure on the assaulting enemy troops as the shifted their points of concentration. As a result of his aggressive fighting and inspiring leadership, the hostile attacks were repeatedly thwarted, and his platoon held off the numerically superior enemy force until friendly reinforcements arrived and the unwavering devotion to duty, and profound concern for the welfare of his comrades were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.