By the direction of the President, the Silver Star for gallantry in action is awarded to the following enlisted man:

Sergeant (then Corporal) Joseph D. Karam, Infantry, United States Army, a member of Heavy Mortar Company, 5th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, distinguished himself by courageous action near Paeson-gol, Korea on 9 October 1951.

Company G had secured its objective and as the men began digging in, they were subjected to torrents of enemy mortar and artillery fire. During the early part of the barrage, the friendly forward artillery observer was evacuated because of wounds. Sergeant Karam, forward observer for the heavy mortars took over the wounded man’s duties in addition to his own responsibilities. Although he occupied foremost and hazardous positions, constantly exposed to the severe enemy fire, he never faltered in his duties. His accurate and capable direction of fire missions unleashed such an effective volume of explosives on the enemy positions that the friendly unit was able to secure its objectives with a minimum of casualties.

Sergeant Karam’s courageous action, technical skill and unhesitant devotion to duty contributed immeasurably to the success of his unit’s mission and reflect the highest credit on himself and the United States Infantry.

Joseph D. Karam entered the Service from Columbus, Ohio. Among his other awards is a Bronze Star with “V” earned for action in Korea on November 1951. Joseph D. Karam remained in Columbus as a business leader, philanthropist, and a volunteer with numerous charitable activities until his passing in 2017.