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 Corporal Clayton E. Swanson (ASN: 107398), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 5th Machine-Gun Battalion, 2d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Mont Blanc, France, 4 October 1918. On learning that a member of his squad was in front of the lines in a heavily shelled position, Corporal Swanson obtained permission to make a search, to find that the man was dead.