The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Sergeant [then Private First Class] Ottis A. Hollar (ASN: 35470011), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 137th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, in action in the vicinity of ****, France, on 31 July 1944. Sergeant Hollar and his machine gun crew were supporting an infantry unit advancing along a sunken road when the unit was suddenly pinned down by machine gun fire from its left flank. Without hesitation, Sergeant Hollar detached his machine gun from its mount, crawled to a position where he could see the enemy, stood upright, cradled his weapon in one arm and fired with the other, destroying the enemy position. The courage, coolness, resourcefulness, and utter disregard for personal safety on the part of Sergeant Hollar enabled the infantry unit to continue its advance, and is in keeping with the highest military traditions.