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 Private Henry O. Kessler (ASN: 1708151), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 308th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Ville Savoye, France, 23 August 1918. Private Kessler was the first to respond to a call for volunteers to rescue a wounded soldier who had fallen, severely wounded, while on a patrol. Crawling forward through intense machine-gun and artillery fire, he assisted in the rescue, being severely wounded while engaged in the undertaking.