John Wesley Lane, Jr.

Corporal, U. S. Marine Corps

Silver Star

GENERAL ORDERS:
Commander in Chief, Pacific: Serial 0647
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Private First Class John W. Lane, Jr. (MCSN: 496722), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the Second Amphibian Tractor Battalion, SECOND Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, 20 November 1943.
After disembarking assault troops on the heavily fortified beachhead on D-Day, Private First Class Lane boldly returned to the edge of a treacherous coral reef to assist other units halted in the water by the enemy's concentrated shellfire. Using his tractor as a shield by driving between the gunfire and the troops, he effectively covered their advance to shore and, at the same time, skillfully manned his vehicle's mounted machine gun to deliver destructive return fire against the fanatic Japanese.
Upon reaching the beach, he dauntlessly continued in the fight, providing overhead fire for oncoming by a bursting Japanese shell. By his prompt and daring action, his great personal valor and zealous devotion to duty in the face of tremendous odds, Private First Class Lane contributed materially to the success of our forces in capturing this vital hostile stronghold and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.