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 Captain (Infantry) Lucien S. Breckinridge, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 308th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Grand Pre, France, 14 October 1918. After bridges over the Meuse River having been destroyed by artillery fire, Captain Breckenridge, who had been ordered to cross the river with his battalion, personally reconnoitered the banks of the river in utter disregard for his own safety until he found a ford. He then led his command across the stream under intense machine-gun and artillery fire, and established a position on the heights of the opposite bank.