Presidential Unit Citation for Bastogne
101st Airborne Division and Attached Units
Mourmelon, France
March 15, 1945

"Never before has a full division been cited by the War Department, in the name of the President, for gallantry in action. This day marks the beginning of a new tradition in the American Army," announced GEN Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, when awarding the Presidential Unit Citation for Bastogne to the 101st Airborne Division.

The citation read:
The 101st Airborne Division and attached units distinguished themselves in combat against powerful and aggressive enemy forces composed of elements of eight German divisions during the period from Dec. 18 to Dec. 27, 1944, by extraordinary heroism and gallantry in defense of the key communications center of Bastogne, Belgium . . .

This masterful and grimly determined defense denied the enemy even momentary success in an operation for which he paid dearly in men, material and eventually morale. The outstanding courage and resourcefulness and undaunted determination of this gallant force are in keeping with the highest traditions of the service.

Other persons of note attending the ceremony included
- LTG Sir Frederick Morgan (Director General of UNRRA Operations Europe, who later signed the WWII Peace negotiations at Reims, France for Britain)
- LTG Lewis H. Brereton (CO, First Allied Airborne Army)
- MG Matthew Bunker Ridgway (CO, XVIII Airborne Corps)
- MG Maxwell D. Taylor (CO, 101st Airborne Division)
- Stephen Early (secretary to President Franklin Roosevelt)

Front cover of the 4-page bulletin handed out to members of the 101st Airborne Division present for the
Presidential Unit Citation ceremony. Charles Craton said that the 506th PIR Currahee paratroopers were
given these bulletins with 501st PIR on the cover!

NOTE: during the Battle of Bastogne, the 506th PIR was still only attached to the 101st Airborne Division;
the 506th PIR was not actually assigned to the 101st Airborne Division until March 1, 1945.

Please contact Hoyt Bruce Moore, III if you have information on any of the Currahee
paratroopers who signed these five pages.

Page 2 was signed by the following members of C Co, 1st BN, 506th PIR:

PFC Richard C. "Dick" Hoover
PVT Harry H. Swezey
SGT Leroy M. Gross
PVT Dan K. Melton
PVT Robert "Flash" Burlingame

Page 3 was signed by the following members of the 506th PIR:

PVT August Mohr (C Co, 1st BN)
PVT William E. "Bill" Davis (HQ, 1st BN)
Gus Parce McFarland (B Co, 1st BN)

The back cover was signed by the following members of C Co, 1st BN, 506th PIR:

PFC Wilbur C. Clouser (who later retired from the Army as a Command Sergeant Major)
PVT Ralph C. Bramlett
PFC George D. "Lucky" Doxzen
PFC Michael P. Krska, Jr.

NOTE: the bronze oak leaf cluster in the center of the Presidential Unit Citation depicted on this page
denotes the second award of a Presidential Unit Citation. The 506th PIR and other units of the 101st
Airborne Division had already been awarded a PUC for their participation in the D-Day assault
in Normandy. Since this PUC for Bastogne was noted as the first PUC ever awarded to an entire
division, the PUCs for Normandy must have been awarded on a unit (not on a division) basis.