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 First Lieutenant (Infantry) Russell Blake Livermore, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near the Bois-de-Belleau, France, 18 July 1918. As his battalion was advancing across an open field, it came under fire from a hostile machine gun located in a strong enfilading position in a ravine. Hastily gathering a group of men from his platoon, Lieutenant Livermore led them in a charge on the nest and put it out of action, capturing eleven prisoners and saving his battalion many casualties.