James Brown

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to James Brown, Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Ville-devant-Chaumont, France, November 10, 1918. In command of the 2d Battalion of his regiment and directed to take the town of Ville-devant-Chaumont, Lieutenant Brown led his battalion in person, and by a process of slow infiltration successfully carried out his mission. His entire disregard for his own safety, his coolness under heavy enemy fire, and his gallant leadership proving an inspiration to his men, enabling them in the face of concentrated machine-gun fire to take the town, making possible the advance of the troops of his division on both sides.