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 Staff Sergeant [then Private First Class] Francisco L. Dominguez, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism against the Japanese Forces at Kapintalan, Luzon, Philippine Islands while serving in Company L, 3d Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces near Kapintalan, Luzon, Philippine Islands, on 2 April 1945. Staff Sergeant Dominguez was the lead scout of a combat patrol pushing forward on a narrow precipitous ridge. While the patrol halted, he proceeded to scout out a supposedly heavily defended enemy position consisting of a machine gun and numerous supporting rifles. Sighting the enemy he sent word back to the patrol and moved out to protect their flank as they moved up. He quickly gauged the situation and realized that the Japanese strongpoint was completely unaware of his presence. On his own initiative he maneuvered close to the enemy and without waiting for help charged their position. Using hand grenades and his M-1 rifle he completely wiped out a five-man machine gun crew who were frantically trying to prepare their gun for firing. Overrunning the position and still without help he continued maneuvering forward through sporadic sniper fire and systematically, one by one, killed five Japanese riflemen in positions protecting the machine gun nest. His score in less than five minutes of single-handed combat totaled ten enemy killed, enabling the patrol to sweep on through the area with only light opposition. Staff Sergeant Dominguez’s coolness and his courageous initiative far above and beyond the call of duty exemplify the highest standards of the United States Army.