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 Sergeant Noel Edward Paton (ASN: 8669), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 344th Tank Battalion, Tank Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, near Woel, France, 14 September 1918. While on a reconnaissance patrol under heavy machine-gun fire, Sergeant Paton was seriously wounded and ordered to the rear. Refusing to seek safety, he crawled to the assistance of two comrades, whom he had seen disappear under a burst of shrapnel, and, with one arm useless, attempted to render aid while he was himself suffering from loss of blood.