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 Herman Max Sell (ASN: 1700766), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 306th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in La Cendriere Woods, near Vauxcere, between the Vesle and the Aisne, France, 6 September 1918. First Sergeant Sell volunteered to deliver a message of great importance to his battalion commander after sis runners, who had been sent with the same message, failed to return. He voluntarily crossed 600 yards of open field swept by shell and machine-gun fire, reached his destination, accomplished his mission, and returned to his company with information of vital importance.