The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant [then Private] Stanley Kurgan, Jr. (ASN: 36759575), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 35th Infantry Division, in action near ****, Belgium, on 15 January 1945. Although his unit had been forced to withdraw from an open field which was subjected to heavy enemy mortar, machine gun and small arms fire, Sergeant Kurgan, a rifleman, voluntarily returned to the exposed location to assist wounded comrades in the absence of regular aid men. In the face of intense concentrations of hostile fire, he bandaged the wounds of two infantrymen and evacuated them to safety, while making several trips to accomplish his purpose. Sergeant Kurgan’s gallant devotion to wounded comrades-in-arms reflects high credit upon his character and training as a soldier.