Martin J. Janssen

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Martin J. Janssen, Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Flirey, France, September 12, 1918. Coming up in the rear of two platoons of a battalion of the first line, Sergeant Janssen, belonging to another battalion, noticed the two platoons were held up by machine-gun fire from the front and flank and appeared to be without a leader. Fearlessly exposing himself, he ran from one end of the line to the other urging the men forward until both platoons had moved across a small gully out of danger from the machine-gun fire. His bravery and leadership thus prevented the interruption of the advance of the entire first line.