Joseph France Brown

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Joseph France Brown, Private, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near the Forest of Argonne, France, September 27, 1918. During an attack on the trenches held by his company, Private Brown found an automatic rifle, which had been abandoned by a wounded soldier. Though he was unfamiliar with the operation of the weapon, Private Brown opened fire on the enemy with it, killing two of them and thereby making possible the escape of three of his comrades, who had been captured by the enemy. The remainder of the hostile force was driven off.