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 Sergeant Willard Dealton Purdy (ASN: 273297), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Hegenbach, Alsace, 4 July 1918. Upon returning with his patrol after a reconnaissance on the enemy’s line, Sergeant Purdy was calling the roll of his men and collecting their hand grenades, when the pin of one of the grenades became disengaged. Seeing that the grenade could not be thrown away without injuring some of the men, Sergeant Purdy called on them all to run, while he picked up three of the grenades, and, bending over, held them against his stomach. The grenades exploded, killing Sergeant Purdy instantly, but his presence of mind and self-sacrificing act saved the lives of his comrades.