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 First Class William A. Hartman (ASN: 257825), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company F, 107th Engineers, 32d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Fismes, France, 4 August 1918. Sergeant First Class Hartman was a member of a patrol sent out from the battalion post of command at midnight, to reconnoiter the Vesle River front, near Fismes, France, for the location of possible sites for pontoon bridges and of material for making structures. Despite heavy artillery and machine-gun fire that forced the patrol to scatter and separated him from the Lieutenant in charge, he continued the work on his own initiative, and, acting entirely without orders, started his detail on the actual construction of rafts for the pontoon bridges. His courage, ability as a leader, and his inflexible determination made the reconnaissance a complete success.