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 Second Lieutenant (Infantry) Harwood O. Benton, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 137th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Montrebeau Woods, France, 29 September 1918. When the advance of his company had been checked and forced back into the woods Lieutenant Benton, although himself wounded, went into an open field and, under heavy machine-gun fire and rescued two wounded comrades. He remained in action despite his wounds for three days, when he was ordered to the hospital by the battalion commander.