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 Sergeant Elmer F. Guthrie (ASN: 2176235), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company E, 353d Infantry Regiment, 89th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Barricourt, France, 1 November 1918. When his battalion encountered heavy machine-gun fire, which stopped its advance, Sergeant Guthrie quickly organized a group of ten or twelve men from different companies and led them with exceptional dash and courage, in an attack on the enemy gun. Skillfully picking out a protected route, he succeeded in flanking the nest and annihilating the crew.