Michael J. Hayes

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Michael J. Hayes, First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, for repeated acts of extraordinary heroism in action at Bazoches, France, August 14, 1918, and St. Juvin, France, October 14, 1918. On August 14 Lieutenant Hayes led a patrol of five men in broad daylight and without any cover rescued his company commander who had fallen wounded near a German machine-gun nest. Failing to find the wounded officer, he crawled to within 20 yards of the post, attacked it with great dash and gallantry, inflicting a number of casualties in spite of heavy fire from enemy machine guns and hand grenades. On October 14 this officer led his platoon forward into the attack with energy and courage, in the face of heavy artillery and machine-gun fire. In the face of direct fire from enemy machine-guns upon Ms platoon, disregarding his own personal safety, he went forward to reconnoiter and find cover for his men from which to continue the attack. In the performance of his courageous enterprise he was killed by machine-gun fire.