The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier’s Medal to Sergeant Richard Burgess, United States Army, for heroism at the risk of life not involving conflict with an armed enemy as a member of Company G, 39th Infantry Regiment, at Fort Carson, Colorado, on 13 December 1956. While supervising training in throwing live fragmentation grenades, Sergeant Burgess saw a grenade thrown by a trainee rebound into the pit. Sergeant Burgess quickly pulled the soldier out of the pit before the grenade exploded. On his next throw the trainee again hit the wall and the grenade rebounded into the pit. Again Sergeant Burgess with no thought of his own safety pulled the trainee from the pit, recovered the live grenade and threw it from the pit where exploded harmlessly. Sergeant Burgess’s alert and courageous actions averted injury or possible fatality, reflecting great credit on himself in the military service.