On 16 June 1944, Sgt Robert McCard led a 4-tank spearhead in an attack on a ridge adjacent to the airfield on Saipan. His Sherman clambered up the slope, rolling directly into the jaws of enemy guns, putting the tank out of commission. The rest of the column was ordered to withdraw. With no help in sight, McCard told his crew to make a run for it, manning the weapons in the open turret and providing cover for his men.