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 Second Lieutenant (Air Service) William Edgar Brotherton, United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 147th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Fere-en-Tardenois, France, on 1 August 1918. An enemy Rumpler plane being reported over the airdrome, Lieutenant Brotherton, with another officer, ascended and soon uncounted six Fokker planes that were protecting another Fokker serving as a decoy. Disregarding the enemy’s superiority in numbers, he maneuvered so as to secure the advantage of the sun and dived on the decoy plane; pouring in air destructive fire, he killed the pilot and crashed the machine to the ground.