Josiah A. Powless

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Josiah A. Powless, First Lieutenant (Medical Corps), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Chevieres, France, October 14, 1918. When notified that his colleague, Captain James M. McKibben, had been wounded, Lieutenant Powless immediately went forward to his assistance. He crossed an area subjected to intense machine-gun and constant artillery fire, reached his colleague, whose wound proved to be fatal, and, after dressing his wounds, had him carried to the rear. Lieutenant Powless was seriously wounded while performing this service.