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 Richard Mowry Groff (ASN: 33149278), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company L, 3d Battalion, 328th Infantry Regiment, 26th Infantry Division, in action against enemy forces near Nothum, Luxembourg, on 3 January 1945. While serving as Weapons Sergeant with a light machine gun section, Staff Sergeant Groff went to the aid of an American platoon that was getting heavy machine gun fire from point blank range. The bursts were coming from a house, and with the machine gun bullets there was additional fire from a tank on the flank. Sergeant Groff led his crew directly from the right flank where he had been supporting one platoon, to the left flank was the platoon that was caught in this fire trap. As he went across, one member of his crew was hit. Sergeant Groff who was in the lead of his men, saw the casualty and ran back through machine gun fire to the main, picked up his machine gun and a box of ammunition, and led the remaining two men of his crew to their firing positions. As he maneuvered them into position the Germans opened up with small arms fire and the remaining two men of his crew were killed. At the first burst of fire, Sergeant Groff dropped to his knees and opened fire on the enemy riflemen who were located in an attic. Blinded by the snow, he moved forward to the crest of a hill to get higher visibility, exposing himself completely. When he exhausted his ammunition, he ran back to the spot where his two gunners were lying by their ammunition, and opened up. With his overhead fire, the platoon of infantry that had been caught in the fire trap moved forward and wiped out the gun emplacement in the building. Staff Sergeant Groff’s extraordinary heroism, personal bravery and zealous devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 26th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.