The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Ernest B. Ball, United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism October 3 – 10 and November 1 – 11, 1918, while serving as a Corpsman with the Eighteenth Company, Fifth Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in action at the front at Mont Blanc Ridge and in the Argonne offensive. Pharmacist’s Mate Second Class Ball showed exceptional bravery and devotion to duty by dressing wounded men under continuous machine gun and artillery fire.