Howard E. Hawkinson

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Howard E. Hawkinson, Captain, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Exermont, France, October 4, 1918. Although suffering intense pain from a gunshot wound in the leg which had not healed, Captain Hawkinson led the regimental assault battalion, of which he was in command, in the attack on that day. Forging ahead of his lines with his staff in darkness and fog, he suddenly came upon a German detachment to the rear of which were two machine guns which immediately opened fire. Despite surprise, courageously exposing himself, he advanced intrepidly on the nest with utter disregard for personal safety, firing his pistol wounding some of the crew and falling, mortally wounded, when only 10 yards from the pit from which the fire was directed.