Richard D. Johnson
Distinguished Service Cross
U.S. Army
World War I
General Orders 74, W.D., 1919
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Richard D. Johnson, Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Cierges, France, July 30, 1918. Coming unexpectedly upon a German machine gun, Sergeant Johnson threw himself upon it as it started firing, being himself killed, but preventing any casualties among the members of his own platoon, the enemy gunners being made prisoners