The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Infantry), [then Lieutenant] Ward M. Ackley, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 363d Infantry Regiment, 91st Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Very, France, 27 September 1918. Exposing himself to heavy machine-gun and artillery fire in leading his platoon forward, First Lieutenant Ackley himself captured a machine-gun nest, killing seven of the enemy with, his automatic pistol.