Ensign
WILLIAM COSTELLO BROOKS, JR.
Pilot
Composite Squadron VC-65
USS ST LO (CVE 63)

NAVY CROSS

THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
Washington

The President of the United States takes pride in
Presenting the NAVY CROSS to

WILLIAM COSTELLO BROOKS, JR., ENSIGN
UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:

                "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 participating 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."

                                                                            For the President,

                                                                            /s/ James Forrestal

                                                                            Secretary of the Navy