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 Sergeant Benjamin Thomas Hatch, Jr. (ASN: 1287967), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company E, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, north of Samogneux, France, 15 October 1918. When his company was subjected to deadly machine-gun fire from two hostile nests, Sergeant Hatch, upon his own initiative, organized an attacking group and led it in an assault on the machine-gun nest, putting them out of action and making it possible for the further advance of his company.