Went Ashore, Risked Life
to Pave the Way
for Invasion

   Lieutenant General Water Krueger, commander of the 6th Army in the Philippines, announced today award of the Silver Star Medal to Corporal William F. Blaise of Ozone Park, one of five men who went ashore on Leyte last December and risked their lives to obtain information which smoothed the way for invasion.
   Corporal Blaise is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Blaise of 97-19 76th street.
   His five-man reconnaissance patrol was landed on Leyte at night by PT boat, going ashore behind enemy lines near Abijao.
   Describing the mission, General Krueger said in a dispatch from his headquarters on Luzon;
   "Traveling by foot and by native boat for direct observation and organization of guerrilla intelligence sources, the men kept Army Headquarters informed by radio of enemy locations, movements and activities.
   This information covered an area extending 27 miles along the coast from Bolopan north to Daha, and inland to a depth of 10 miles."
   Four times the party was forced to evacuate its position because of the approach of Japs. On the last occasion much of the equipment had to be abandoned.
   In addition to developing information of the enemy, they arranged five airplane drops of supplies and equipment for guerilla forces," General Krueger continued, and assisted five American pilots, who had been shot down, in returning to American lines.
   After completing their hazardous mission Dec. 22, they skillfully eluded the enemy to infiltrate back to the American lines."