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), [then Lieutenant] Willard Ingham Emerson, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 311th Infantry Regiment, 78th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Grand Pre, France, 1 November 1918. Captain Emerson displayed remarkable gallantry and leadership during the fighting north of Grand Pre, when the line of his regiment was the pivot for the advance of the army. He personally led his company around machine-gun nests, frequently going out with selected patrols for the purpose of bombing out enemy machine gunners. When the commanding officer of the company on his left was incapacitated, Captain Emerson at once took command of the company and maneuvered it with his own. By this example in undergoing hardships during the advance he sustained the morale of his men and inspired them to valiant combat.