The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Corporal William H. Wolvington (MCSN: 300447), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous devotion to duty as a Platoon Guide of a Rifle Company of the Second Battalion, First Marines, FIRST Marine Division, during action against a Japanese landing force of about 700 men which launched an attack at the mouth of the Tenaru River, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, in the early morning darkness on 21 August 1942. When his platoon was enfiladed by machine gun fire, Corporal Wolvington, with courageous disregard for his own personal safety, advanced to the front line, picked up an abandoned machine gun and silenced the hostile fire. Continuing to carry the weapon and firing from the hip, he killed Japanese who had filtered across the river and assisted in silencing two enemy machine guns on the far bank. Exposed to deadly fire throughout the action, he fought with stubborn persistence until he was mortally wounded. He gallantly gave up his life in the service of his country.