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 Corporal Paul Scaletta, United States Army, for repeatedly entering a dangerous surf and saving the lives of other souls at the risk of his own life at Ocean Beach, California, on 5 May 1918, while serving as a member of Company B, 159th Infantry Regiment, 40th Division.