Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Private First Class

Unit:

Company A, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division "The Spearhead", U.S. Marine Corps

Awarded for:

Operation Detachment

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a Fire Group Leader of Company A, First Battalion, Twenty-eighth Marines, FIFTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, on 22 March 1945. When his company was pinned down by heavy enemy machine-gun and rifle fire from five or six pillboxes on a ridge to the front, Private First Class Dent volunteered to lead tanks up to aid the company. Under intense hostile fire, he reconnoitered the enemy position and leading forward the tanks enabled them to destroy the pillboxes and clear the way for the company's advance. His courage, initiative and unwavering devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."