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 First Lieutenant (Infantry) William Jesse Blythe, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, east of Belleau, France, 21 July 1918. Lieutenant Blythe, with two enlisted men, charged a machine-gun nest, captured two machine guns, and killed or captured 12 of the enemy.