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 Second Lieutenant (Air Service) Kenneth Lee Porter, 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 Chateau-Thierry, France, 2 July 1918. Lieutenant Porter, with four other pilots, attacked 12 enemy aircraft (type Pfalz), flying in two groups well within the enemy lines. As soon as the enemy planes were sighted, Lieutenant Porter maneuvered to get between them and the sun and with great difficulty gained the advantage. While three of the other American officers dived on the lower formation Lieutenant Porter and Second Lieutenant John H. Stevens engaged the upper formation in a bold and brilliant combat, two planes of which they crashed to the earth.