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 to Lieutenant Colonel (Ordnance Corps) Herbert W. Alden, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I, first as American Engineering Representative at the conference called to design the Anglo-American Mark VIII tank, and later as being directly responsible for the design of a new, valuable, and easily obtained implement of mechanical warfare, the fast 3-ton tank, susceptible of production in America in such quantity as to constitute a most material contribution to the effective fighting power of the United States Army.