William M. Spencer

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to William M. Spencer, Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Villers-sur-Fere, France, on July 28, 1918. Second Lieutenant Spencer led his platoon in an attack which stormed and took the strongly prepared enemy positions on the heights north of the River Ourcq. He maintained the position thus gained under a fire that lasted for seven hours. During this entire time he continually circulated among his men, cheering them, and giving the wounded first aid. In order to reach and administer aid to his wounded captain, he passed without cover into an area which was under extremely heavy machine-gun fire and was himself wounded.