REAR ADMIRAL WILLIAM M. COLE, U.S. Navy, received the Navy Cross in recognition of his extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as commander of a destroyer during an engagement with Japanese naval forces near Guadalcanal Island on the night of November 12-13 1942. The then Commander Cole gallantly, and at the risk of his life, engaged numerically superior enemy forces at close range, inflicting heavy damage upon them and preventing the accomplishment of their intended mission. This daring and intrepid attack, brilliantly executed, led to a great victory for his country’s forces. His courageous conduct was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service.