The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sergeant James L. McDonald (ASN: 31398760), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company A, 1st Battalion, 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces on 10 December 1944. During action near Dillingen, Germany, when a numerically superior enemy force attacked positions of two entrenched infantry platoons and forced them to withdraw, Sergeant McDonald voluntarily led them in a bold assault to retake their positions. Completely disregarding his own safety he advanced toward the objective and killed one of the enemy with rifle fire, and fearlessly jumped into the dugout, seized a German rifle and with it killed another of the foe. Moving on, he wounded another of the enemy with a retrieved grenade and took him captive, killed two more with submachine-gun fire, forced another to surrender and routed the remainder from the stronghold. The fearless leadership displayed by Sergeant McDonald, and his conspicuous heroism, determination and supreme devotion to duty, exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 90th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.