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 Corporal [then Private] Alva William Palmer (ASN: 1457832), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company K, 139th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, south of Exermont, France, 28 September 1918. When his battalion commander asked for a volunteer to carry a message to the battalion commander on the right, Corporal Palmer volunteered and carried the message through an area exposed to intense machine-gun and artillery fire. By his utter disregard for his own personal safety, and his example of bravery, he inspired all those near him.