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 Colonel (Coast Artillery Corps) Robert E. Wylie, 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, in assisting in organizing the first group of General Staff Officers that ultimately developed into the Operations Branch and the Equipment Branch of the Operations Division of the General Staff. As Chief Assistant and later as Head of the Equipment Branch his services were conspicuously useful to the Government and to the Army.