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 Lieutenant Colonel (Field Artillery) John Alden Crane, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 6th Field Artillery, 1st Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Cantigny and again in the battle of 18 July 1918, southwest of Soissons, France. Having on the morning of that day advanced his batteries three miles and, finding that the normal liaison between Artillery and Infantry was not then operating and that observation of fire from near the batteries was impossible, Lieutenant Colonel Crane went forward himself to locate our Infantry front lines and to personally conduct fire on the enemy’s forces. He advanced through heavy enemy artillery and machine-gun fire over a terrain easily visible to the enemy to the front line of the supported infantry at Chaudun, where he drew down a violent shelling from enemy artillery. Undeterred by this and seeing German machine-gun detachments advancing to a position a short distance from him, he continued to seek a favorable point of observation. While engaged in this dangerous and self-imposed mission he was desperately wounded. This inspiring action on the part of the battalion commander, locating and supporting the advance Infantry elements, permitted the supported Infantry to seize and hold a line ahead of adjacent units, and, protected by its supporting Artillery, to hold the lead in the attack of the Tenth French Army.