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 First Lieutenant (Field Artillery) John Thornton Knight, Jr., United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Battery A, 20th Field Artillery, 5th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, during the St. Mihiel offensive, France, 12 September 1918. Although seriously wounded, Lieutenant Knight refused to be evacuated, and continued to exercise active command of his battery during the attack.