Headquarters, 3d Division, A.E.F., Citation Orders No. 22 (July 8, 1919)
By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), Captain (Infantry) William E. Kepner (ASN: 0-5686/6A), United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, 3d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the World War I Victory Medals awarded him. At midnight, 5 – 6 October 1918, Captain Kepner, in command of a battalion of the 4th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, American Expeditionary Forces, led it into Woods 250, Southwest of Cunel. These woods were occupied by German machine gun companies with a total of 37 guns and had held up our advance for two days previous. Captain Kepner personally led Company L of his command into the woods and was the first man into them. After his command was partly in the woods the latter portion was held up by fire from a machine gun on the left flank. Captain Kepner, with a patrol of three men, encircled this machine gun, and, after a spirited hand-to-hand encounter with its crew, in the course of which he threw several German grenades into the Germans’ midst, put it out of action. [A Distinguished Service Cross was awarded for this action.]