George R. Nixon

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to George R. Nixon, First Lieutenant (Field Artillery), U.S. Army, for repeated acts of extraordinary heroism in action near Domevre-en-Haye, France, August 28, 1918, and near Malancourt, France. September 28, 1918. On August 28 Lieutenant Nixon was locating active enemy batteries from his balloon and was attacked several times by enemy planes, but refused to descend until one had set fire to the balloon. On September 28, while he was on a reglage mission, five enemy planes fired at him. He remained in the basket until the balloon was a mass of flames, and one of the enemy aviators followed him to the ground firing at him. Despite his narrow escape, he immediately re-ascended.