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 Private First Class Joseph R. Torres, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Company C, 1st Battalion, 182d Infantry Regiment, 23d Infantry Division (Americal), in action against enemy forces at Cebu, Philippine Islands, on 14 April 1945. Private First Class Torres was a member of a small American unit defending a hill position against repeated Japanese counterattacks. After the first attack, Private First Class Torres expended all his ammunition and was wounded in the shoulder by an enemy bullet. Snatching up a 45-caliber automatic from a dead comrade, he emptied it into the faces of the Japanese, as they charged screaming up the hill for the second time. Two enemy fell just in front of his foxhole. Bullets tore through his right arm, so he shifted the gun to his left hand and kept firing until the charge was repulsed. A burst of enemy machine gun fire ripped through his helmet and knocked him unconscious as he rose to meet the third charge, but he regained consciousness and continued shooting from a sitting position until the Japanese fled. Private First Class Torres’ 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 Americal Division, and the United States Army.