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 Ruppel (ASN: 732099), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company D, 6th Infantry Regiment, 5th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Fontaines, France, 8 November 1918. While in command of a flank platoon of the battalion, Sergeant Ruppel overcame three enemy machine-gun groups, and personally led the flanking patrols when his platoon was held up by enemy machine-gun fire.