The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal in lieu of the Certificate of Merit previously issued to First Sergeant John McDonald, United States Army, for saving from drowning an employee of the United Sates Engineer Department, at Otis Wharf, Boston, Massachusetts, on 24 June 1905, while serving as a member of the 77th Company, Coast Artillery Corps.