The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant [then Private] Abraham Bloomfield (ASN: 32539668), United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with Headquarters Company, 2d Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, in action on 21 July 1943, two miles south of ****, Sicily. Staff Sergeant Bloomfield, a battalion clerk, volunteered for a patrol to eliminate enemy positions dominating approaches to the battalion objective. He dashed across three hundred yards of open ground with the patrol under a hail of rifle, machine gun and 77-mm. fire to one of the machine gun positions. There he disabled the gun, killed two enemy and wounded one. Continuing the climb with two remaining members of the patrol, he grenaded another machine gun position, putting it out of action and uncovered the command post of the enemy strong point, which resulted in the surrender of the command post and the strong point. Elimination of the strong point permitted the battalion to seize its objective with a minimum loss of time. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.