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 Corporal Orvil L. Cotten (ASN: 1330179), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 105th Field Signal Battalion, 30th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Bellicourt, France, 27 September 1918. In order to maintain communication between two regiments of Infantry, and, after an assisting detachment had suffered severe casualties, Corporal Cotten alone kept the line in repair, working under constant heavy shellfire. Although badly gassed, he refused evacuation, requesting and obtaining permission to continue with his work.