The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Michael J. Hayes, United States Army, for repeated acts of extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, at Bazoches, France, 14 August 1918, and St. Juvin, France, 14 October 1918. On August 14 Lieutenant Hayes led a patrol of five men in broad daylight and without any cover rescued his company commander who had fallen wounded near a German machine-gun nest. Failing to find the wounded officer, he crawled to within 20 yards of the post, attacked it with great dash and gallantry, inflicting a number of casualties in spite of heavy fire from enemy machine guns and hand grenades. On 14 October First Lieutenant Hayes led his platoon forward into the attack with energy and courage, in the face of heavy artillery and machine-gun fire. In the face of direct fire from enemy machine-guns upon his platoon, disregarding his own personal safety, he went forward to reconnoiter and find cover for his men from which to continue the attack. In the performance of his courageous enterprise he was killed by machine-gun fire.