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 Major (Infantry) Samuel Wilson Fleming, Jr., United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 315th Infantry Regiment, 79th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Beaumont, France, 9 November 1918. On the night of 9 November Major Fleming received a serious and painful wound from a high-explosive shell, but refused to be evacuated, and continued in command of his battalion until the signing of the armistice on November 11. He was exposed not only to heavy enemy fire but to severe weather conditions as well.