John J. Williams

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to John J. Williams, Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Villers-sur-Fere, France, July 28, 1918. When all the other officers of his company had been killed or wounded, Second Lieutenant Williams promptly took command, led his men through artillery and machine-gun fire, rushed a machine-gun which was blocking his advance, personally killed four members of its crew, gained his objective and held it.