LIEUTENANT COMMANDER WILLIAM COSTELLO BROOKS, JR., (then Ensign), United States Naval Reserve. For extraordinary heroism as Pilot of a Torpedo Bomber in Composite Squadron SIXTY-FIVE, attached to the U.S.S. ST. LO, during action against enemy Japanese forces in the Battle for Leyte Gulf, October 25, 1944. In the face of intense antiaircraft fire, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, (then Ensign) Brooks pressed home two attacks against the enemy. He single-handedly attacked a heavy cruiser with depth bombs and, subsequently partricipating in a three-plane torpedo attack, scored a direct hit on an enemy battleship. His courage and devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Brooks and the United States Naval Service.