La Roy S. Upton

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to La Roy S. Upton, Colonel, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Soissons, France, July 18 – 19, 1918. Colonel Upton’s regiment having suffered heavy casualties in its first attack on July I8, 1918, and he having received orders to attack a second time, Colonel Upton reformed his command and conducted the second attack in person, until stopped by darkness. His line being broken by a gap in its center, all of his battalion commanders being killed or wounded, and all of his reserves being in the thinly held line, he established his command post on the extreme front at the right of the gap and remained there for 24 hours under steady and intense artillery bombardment and machine-gun fire, holding his position until his regiment was relieved. his presence and his example of fearlessness inspired his weakened line thus to guard the unprotected flank of the whole advance and beat off a violent counterattack.