John J. Nealis

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to John J. Nealis, Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Ronssoy, France, September 29, 1918. During the operations against the Hindenburg line he, while in charge of telephone communications between battalion headquarters and forward positions, accompanied the advancing infantry forward, established his advance post, where one of his assistants was killed by shell fire and he himself wounded, and under constant bombardment kept the telephone lines in operation, remaining at his post for nine hours, until wounded a second time. When completely exhausted he turned over his apparatus to the man sent to relieve him. His extreme gallantry, courage, and bravery afforded a magnificent example to the combat troops who witnessed it.