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) Howard Grant Rath, United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 96th Aero Squadron, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., between Chambley and Xammes, France, 13 September 1918. While acting as leading observer of a flight of three planes, he was attacked by 15 enemy planes. In spite of the fact that his formation was surrounded by an enemy five times as large, he carried out successfully his mission and bombed his objective. In the return running fight he and his pilot continued the unequal fight and succeeded in returning to their airdrome with valuable information.