Thomas Otto Mader
Home Town: Audenried, PA
General Orders No. 20, W.D., 1919
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Thomas Otto Mader, First Sergeant, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Varennes, France, October 2, 1918. First Sergeant Mader displayed great coolness and bravery in helping to guide sections of his battery over a road swept by enemy shell fire, during which eight men were wounded and ten horses killed, including one which he himself rode. The driver of a swing team, having difficulty in controlling one of the horses of a section, was assigned to another horse and his place taken by Sergeant Mader, who guided the section until he was so severely wounded that he was unable to control. In spite of his wounds, he directed the carriages to places of safety, and, disregarding personal safety, requested the medical officer to first give attention to the other wounded. Sergeant Mader’s conduct was an inspiration to the men of his battery.