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) Meredith L. Dowd, 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 Dannevoux, France, 26 October 1918. Having been unable to overtake and join a patrol, Lieutenant Dowd alone encountered four German planes, which he daringly attacked. He fought with most wonderful skill and bravery, diving into the formation and sending one of the enemy to earth. In the course of the combat his machine was disabled and crashed to the earth, killing him in the fall.