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 Sergeant Bennie A. Akins (ASN: 410274), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 52d Infantry Regiment, 6th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Munster, Alsace, 12 – 13 September 1918. In repulsing a raid on our trenches, Corporal Akins seized an automatic rifle and pursued the Germans across “No Man’s Land” in the face of converging fire of several enemy machine guns.