By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), Private First Class John Lewis Barkley (ASN: 2214317), United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, 3d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the World War I Victory Medals awarded him. While serving with Company K, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, Private Barkley displayed exceptional qualities of heroism and disregard for loss of life in Woods 250, southwest of Cunel. Private Barkley was stationed on an observation post on the left edge of this woods on a line with and one-half kilometer east of Hill 253, held by the Germans. On his own initiative, he repaired a captured German machine gun and mounted it in a disabled French tank in the open near his post. At 16 o’clock on 7 October 1918, the 7th Infantry made an attack on Hill 253. At 1620 they had gained to within 200 yards of their objective, when the Germans launched a counter attack in two waves of skirmishers from the Bois de Cunel, directly north of the Observation Post. When he saw this attack, Private First Class Barkley got in the tank, waited, under the German counter barrage, until the German line was abreast of him, then opened fire on them, completely breaking up the counter attack and wounding and killing a number of the enemy. Five minutes later a German 77-mm. field gun located in the southwest corner of the Bois de Cunel, opened point blank fire on the tank, firing about ten shells, all of which struck within a radius of ten yards of the tank, one demolishing its drive wheel. Private First Class Barkley, however, stuck to his post, and when, after the barrage on him had ceased, the counter attack was again launched, broke it up a second time, enabling the 7th Infantry Regiment Infantry to gain and hold Hill 253.