John E. Douglas

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to John E. Douglas, First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near St. Etienne, France, October 8, 1918. Lieutenant Douglas was a member of a patrol consisting of himself, another officer, and three soldiers, which came under fire from an enemy machine-gun nest. Leading the patrol forward by short rushes to within a short distance of the enemy position, he had his companions take cover while he continued on alone in full view of the enemy, and by accurate fire from an automatic rifle at a range of 40 yards, silenced the nest, capturing 20 men and four machine-guns.