LTC BRUCE W. REAGAN, Corps of Engineers, 150th Engineer Combat Battalion, U.S. Army. For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy. By his exceptional devotion to duty, continuous and inspiring courage and his driving tenacity of purpose Colonel Reagan materially aided the advance, and upheld the highest traditions of the military service of the United States.

Although the citation was brief, the following comments form a general picture of the action in which Mr. Reagan received his Distinguished Service Cross:

In early December, 1944 the Third Army under General Patton was approaching the Siegfried line fortifications with a front generally along the Saar River. The 150th Engineer Combat Battalion of the 1135th Engineer Combat Group was directed to the vicinity of Sarreguemines in support of a river crossing. One company was charged with the preparation of the approach and the assembly of 5-ponton M-2 rafts at the ferry site. The Battalion executive officer was assigned to represent the battalion command. Another company assigned to the bridge construction was to pass the canal by use of M-2 tread sections, remove the debris, prepare the intact intermediate bents, and launch a continuous 160-foot double-single Bailey bridge.

The raft site suffered immediate heavy artillery fire from the Siegfried positions. Things fared little better at the bridge site. With frequent interruptions it was not until dark that the canal bridging and most of the preparatory work for the Bailey were complete. Shortly after dark the site came under fire of what appeared to be a single 75mm tank gun to the southeast of Sarreinsming.

Throughout the night the work crews underwent the frustrating sequence of being repeatedly forced from the site by tank fire. Each time counterbattery fire would start up to locate and reduce the incoming artillery.; it would cease and hoping that it had been accomplished, the troops would move back to work only to be subjected to more tank fire, and dispersal again to cover.

It was finally deduced that there was someone in the immediate vicinity of the bridge directing the fire. About 2:00 a.m. the commander of the bridgehead forces rounded up all the villagers and put them in the local church, in the hope of getting the fire controller. This was accomplished by dawn, and shortly thereafter the bridge was completed.

LTC Reagan resided in Conneticut and had been a member of the Legion of Valor since 1981.