The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Thomas R. Travis (ASN: 0-1325251), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Company K, 3d Battalion, *** Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division, in action near ****, France, on 20 and 21 November 1944. During the attack on the village of **** by the 3d Battalion, *** Infantry Regiment, in the face of fierce enemy resistance, Company K became disorganized and was split into several groups. Lieutenant Travis, a platoon leader, successfully reorganized the unit, ordered the heavy machine gun section to provide continuous overhead fire, and with a brilliant display of daring and leadership, advanced with his men into the strongly defended village. So skillfully was the attack executed that two enemy machine gun emplacements were destroyed and a running assault succeeded in breaking through the German defenses. Lieutenant Travis then deployed his men in a building on the edge of town, which he was able to hold in spite of determined counterattacks. Although enemy machine gun fire had cut off his unit from reinforcements, Lieutenant Travis launched a new attack supported by fire from his heavy weapons section which had been set up in the upper story, and occupied an adjoining building. This house had to be abandoned, however, when enemy tracer bullets and incendiary shells set it ablaze. The valiant group under Lieutenant Travis’ leadership kept an all-night vigil to prevent the enemy from further encroaching upon it position and on the following morning ignored a German ultimatum to surrender or be burned to death. When the enemy succeeded in setting the roof of the building on fire, Lieutenant Travis and his men continued the fight from the basement. At this moment, an American tank destroyer entered the village. Using tracer bullets, Lieutenant Travis signaled the tank destroyer where enemy groups were located. As the friendly armor moved forward, Lieutenant Travis and his men followed and began a house-to-house struggle for the village which resulted in the eventual capture of the enemy strongpoint. Although he and his comrades had been fighting all night, they continued in the action and cleared the entire village of the enemy, inflicting heavy casualties upon the hostile forces. The outstanding leadership and intrepid bravery of Lieutenant Travis honors his character as an officer and are in accord with the military traditions of the United States.