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 Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Ernest Burnham Ball, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving as a Corpsman with the Eighteenth Company, Fifth Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in action near St. Etienne, France, 3 October 1918. Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Ball continually exposed himself to severe machine-gun and artillery fire while dressing and carrying wounded soldiers belonging to the unit to which he was attached.