GENERAL ORDERS - NUMBER 440  9 October 1953

 

    AWARD OF THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL  - By direction of the President, under the provisions of Executive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (Sec II, WD Bul 3, 1944), and pursuant to authority in AR 600-45, the Bronze Star Medal with Letter "V" device for heroic achievement in connection with military operations against an enemy of the United States is awarded to the following named officers and enlisted men:

Second Lieutenant NICHOLAS S. COMITOS, 01894024, Medical Service Corps, Medical Company, 65th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, United States Army. During the late afternoon and evening of 16 July 1953, in the vicinity of Sinmok-Tong, Korea, the 2nd Battalion Aid Station received a call requesting a litter truck to evacuate two friendly casualties lying in a draw forward of the main line of resistance. A vehicle carrying Lieutenant COMITOS and two others was quickly dispatched. Upon arriving at the scene, the men found the first casualty lying a short distance from the top of the draw and Lieutenant COMITOS, a medical assistant, aided the surgeon in treating the man. Following this, they moved down towards the second casualty. Soon, enemy artillery and mortar fire began falling in the area and Lieutenant COMITOS directed the surgeon and driver into a defilade position. He then went on alone to the other casualty, who was lying on a road at the mouth of the draw. Braving the intense fire, he soon reached the man, quickly administered first aid and prepared him for evacuation. Shortly thereafter, the barrage subsided and the man removed the casualty to safety. Lieutenant COMITOS' outstanding hroism and devotion to duty reflect great credit upon himself and the military service. Entered the Federal Service from Florida.

  Source: Record Group 338: General Orders 3rd Infantry Division, Boxes 129 to 131 - National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland.