The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Infantry) Julius Niles, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 6th Infantry Regiment, 5th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near St. Mihiel, France, 12 September 1918. While leading his platoon across an open space in front of a wood, Lieutenant Niles was confronted by a sudden and terrific fire from German machine guns, which killed several of his men, Wishing to make a flank attack, and finding it difficult to pass the orders along, he rose up and started to the front wave of his platoon to give the necessary orders, but was killed before he could get the flank attack started.