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 William H. Powell (ASN: 1319097), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Machine-Gun Company, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Bellicourt, France, 29 September 1918. Sergeant Powell, then a private, took charge of four other soldiers who had become separated from their platoon and led them forward toward the objective. Attacking a machine-gun nest, they captured seven prisoners and a Maxim gun, which they immediately put into action and fired 2,000 rounds at the enemy. They then continued to advance under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire.