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 John J. Kearney (ASN: 1209988), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company B, 102d Infantry Regiment, 26th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, at Marcheville, France, 26 September 1918. When liaison with the front line companies had been completely broken and several runners had failed to reach them, Private Kearney successfully carried a message through an intense machine-gun and artillery barrage, returning with important information.