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 Second Lieutenant (Infantry) William Henry Kofmehl, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 15th Machine-Gun Battalion, 5th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, north of Verdun, France, 21 October 1918. After his platoon had suffered heavy casualties in the Bois-des-Rappes from machine-gun fire he located the enemy guns, and, rallying a handful of his men, charged the enemy positions, capturing 37 prisoners. After getting his own machine guns in position Lieutenant Kofmehl, seeing that one of his gunners had been wounded, operated the gun himself, setting an excellent example to his men.