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 Captain (Medical Corps) Paul M. Patterson, 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. As Evacuation Officer of the 1st Army in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives, Captain Patterson directed the routing of all battle casualties into Army hospitals at the front, supervised the daily supply of those hospitals, and so skillfully and energetically classified and coordinated the constant flow of evacuations to the rear by timely calls for and expeditious loading of hospital trains that beds were always available for thousands of sick and wounded of the 1st Army. He rendered services of inestimable value to the American Expeditionary Forces in a position of great responsibility.