The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to First Sergeant Faun H. Blaknee (ASN: 107438), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company B, 5th Machine-Gun Battalion, 2d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Somme-Py, France, 5 October 1918. First Sergeant Blaknee volunteered to carry an important message across an area swept by machine-gun fire. He arrived at the company post of command with the message and fell dead from a wound he received while in the execution of his mission.