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 Private First Class William E. Hughes (ASN: 1289558), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company L, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in the Bultruy Bois, France, 15 October 1918. Though he had been wounded in the leg and ordered to be evacuated, Private Hughes remained with his company in the advance, displaying marked fortitude. Twenty-four hours later his leg had become so stiff that he was compelled to go to the rear. This soldier had previously displayed marked courage by remaining with his automatic rifle under heavy fire, after two members of his squad had become casualties, until he had silenced an enemy machine gun.