Daniel Lynell Cajka

Captain, U. S. Army

Silver Star

GENERAL ORDERS:
Headquarters, 5th Army, General Orders No. 4 (January 6, 1945)
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Infantry) Daniel L. Cajka (ASN: 0-380595), United States Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving with the FIFTH Army, in action from 29 October 1944 to 3 November 1944, near Torro de Nerone, Italy.
After Captain Cajka's company had taken an important hill, the enemy launched a vicious counterattack to regain the position and overran one of his platoons. At the height of the attack the enemy penetrated to a point within ten yards of Captain Cajka's command post, which was located in a house on the crest of a hill.
Captain Cajka fired his carbine from his dangerously exposed position until the attack was repulsed, personally killing four of the enemy. Determined to regain the ground they had lost, the Germans launched another attack the same afternoon but were again repulsed. Exposing himself to all types of enemy fire, Captain Cajka personally emplaced his mortars and all other available supporting weapons into positions to cover the blind approaches to the hill. During a five-day period of repeated enemy attacks his command post was fired upon by enemy machine pistols and rifle grenades, and was continually under intense mortar and artillery fire.
In spite of deadly enemy fire, Captain Cajka succeeded in maintaining supply, evacuating the wounded and organizing defensive fires to hold the objective. While administering first aid to a wounded man, during an enemy barrage, Captain Cajka was wounded himself and evacuated to the rear. The courage, leadership ability and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Cajka are deserving of highest honor.