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 (Corps of Engineers) John Holland Leavell, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company F, 316th Engineers, 91st Division, American Expeditionary Forces, at Audenarde, Belgium, 1 November 1918. Captain Leavell led a patrol of four men on a reconnaissance of the city of Audenarde at a time when it was still occupied by enemy patrols and snipers, obtaining important data on destroyed bridges and locating materials necessary in repairing them. While on this errand Captain Leavell and his men encountered a German patrol three times their number and in the combat which followed several of the enemy were killed or wounded and a spy was captured.