Private First Class STEPHEN NOWAK, received the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism while serving as a member of the Marine Detachment on board the U.S.S. FRANKLIN, during action against enemy Japanese forces in the vicinity of the Japanese Home Islands, 19 March 1945. Trapped below decks with a large number of other personnel when his ship was hit during a hostile air attack which caused a series of violent explosions, Private First Class Nowak coolly took control of the perilous situation and attempted to find an escape route through suffocating, smoke-filled compartments, proceeding without the aid of a breather apparatus. Finally locating a route after six unsuccessful attempts, he led the men to safety and, on the way out discovering a sailor lying on the deck overcome by smoke, carried him through smoke-filled spaces to safety. By his cool courage in the face of grave danger, Private First Class Nowak assisted greatly in saving the lives of many men who might otherwise have perished and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Mr. Nowak joined the Legion of Valor in 1963 and resided in Massachusetts.