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 Private Louis Francis Hart (ASN: 367426), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company B, 101st Machine-Gun Battalion, 26th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in Houppy Bois, Molleville, France, 28 October 1918. Volunteering to accompany a runner who had been ordered to carry an important message from his platoon commander to the battalion commander through a zone swept by heavy artillery fire, and with disregard for own safety, he proceeded to carry out his mission until struck and killed by an enemy shell.