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 Sergeant Walter O. L. Peterson (ASN: 284497), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company H, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Romagne, France, 5 October 1918. Because of casualties among officers, Sergeant Peterson was placed in command of the second wave, which he led with exceptional bravery and leadership. When it became isolated in a fog, he crawled forward by himself to ascertain the character of troops which were seen one kilometer to the front, and upon finding that they were hostile, immediately established liaison with adjacent units and straightened out his line after breaking up several enemy machine-gun nests.