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 Lieutenant (Field Artillery) Harold W. Burns, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 308th Trench Mortar Battery, 158th Field Artillery Brigade, 83d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Brabant sur Meuse, France, 23 October 1918. In the open, under direct fire from the enemy machine guns and artillery, Lieutenant Burns went from gun to gun of his platoon, encouraging his men to continued effort. Gassed, he refused to be evacuated, but remained in command of his platoon until after the action, when he gave first aid to the wounded.