Elmer T. Worthy
Distinguished Service Cross
U.S. Army
World War I
General Orders No. 1, W.D., 1919
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Elmer T. Worthy, First Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Gesnes, France, September 29, 1918. During the attack on Gesnes, Sergeant Worthy took charge of 15 soldiers who had become separated from their organization and organized them into a combat group. Continuing forward in the face of shell and machine-gun fire, he led his party in an attack on three machine-guns that were holding up the advance of the American troops and effectively silenced them. The fearless leadership displayed in this act furnished an inspiration to all who witnessed it.