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 Sergeant Thomas J. Cavanaugh (ASN: 1243911), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 111th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, at Fismette, France, 11 and 12 August 1918. After he had been wounded by shrapnel, Sergeant Cavanaugh refused to go to the rear but directed the operations of his platoon in resisting enemy attacks for an hour and a half, when he finally collapsed. The following day he returned and unhesitatingly selected a position of great danger to himself in order to direct machine-gun fire upon enemy snipers. By his courageous exposure he thus made possible the evacuation of twenty-five wounded men across an exposed area and over the Vesle River.