Roy J. Brown

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Roy J. Brown, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Premont, France, October 8, 1918. Private Brown exhibited unusual courage and bravery when he and three companions, though warned of the great danger, accompanied their commanding officer across an exposed area to the flank of an enemy machine-gun nest in order to draw the fire of the machine guns from the exposed platoons of their company, which were suffering heavy casualties. One of his companions was killed and another fatally wounded; nevertheless, the ruse was successful and permitted other men of the company to advance from the opposite flank and capture the machine-gun nests.