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 James Thomas Powell (ASN: 1247276), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 112th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Fismette, France, 9 August 1918. When a platoon of his company was held up by sniper fire, Corporal Powell, undaunted, voluntarily crawled through holes in walls and over roofs, located the enemy sniper, and killed him, enabling the platoon to proceed without further loss. Later in the engagement, when reinforcements and ammunition were needed, he volunteered and swam the Vesle River under machine-gun fire.