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 Second Lieutenant (Armor) William C. Rock, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 301st Tank Battalion, Tank Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, near Molain, France, 17 October 1918. Lieutenant Rock was in charge of a tank when it was struck by three shells from a German trench mortar, which set fire to the tank and knocked the track off. He assisted in extricating the wounded men from the tank and carrying them to the only available cover. In attempting to put an enemy machine-gun out of action with his pistol, he was killed.