Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Unit:

Company C, 7th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division "Thundering Herd", U.S. Army (Company C, 7th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division "Thundering Herd", U.S. Army)

The Silver Star is presented to Charles W. Gorna (33440810), Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving with Company C, 7th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division, in Germany on 1 March 1945. Sergeant Gorna, while exploring a mined path, encountered an armed enemy guard. Forcing the guard to surrender he captured eleven other enemy soldiers who were hiding in a nearby dugout. Later he volunteered to guard the vehicle to which he was assigned while the remainder of the squad took cover from sniper fire in a nearby house. Relieved of his guard duties, he went in search of the sniper, found him, and took him prisoner. Sergeant Gorna's actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States. Hometown: Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

Headquarters, 8th Armored Division, General Orders No. 12 (22 March 1945).