Kenneth Lee Caskey

1st Lieutenant, U. S. Marine Corps

Silver Star

GENERAL ORDERS:
Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Pacific: Serial 48904
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant Kenneth L. Caskey (MCSN: 0-17218), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer of Company C, Fifth Engineer Battalion, Twenty-eighth Marines, FIFTH Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 18 March 1945.
Painfully wounded while directing the construction of a road in front of the lines to enable tanks to reach enemy positions holding up the advance of our infantry, First Lieutenant Caskey refused to be evacuated and, continually moving back and forth between his armored equipment and the assault tanks, directed the construction under sustained heavy enemy fire.
By his close and daring direction of demolitions and construction units as they blasted and cut paths through a maze of caves and pillboxes, he contributed materially to the successful completion of the infantry's mission.
First Lieutenant Caskey's gallant conduct was a source of inspiration both to his men and the infantry which he supported, and his unwavering devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.