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 (Corps of Engineers) Fred Dunlap Mendenhall, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 7th Engineers, 5th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Cunel, France, 20 October 1918. Although his platoon was constantly under heavy shell and machine-gun fire, Lieutenant Mendenhall courageously directed the wiring of an extreme northern outpost line of infantry on 20 October 1918. On the night of 10 October 1918, he skillfully directed the construction of a pontoon bridge over the Loison River. So close to the enemy was his platoon that it was necessary to lash the bridge together, because the hammering of nails drew instant machine-gun fire from the enemy.