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 Corporal Joe Donald Wright (ASN: 1309613), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company L, 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, near Ponchaux, France, 7 October 1918. Corporal Wright went through heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, taking forward an automatic rifle to the front line to replace one which had become unserviceable after seeing several other soldiers killed or wounded in a similar attempt.