Virgil C. Mottern
Home Town: Jonesboro, TN
Distinguished Service Cross
World War I
U.S. Army
General Orders No. 35, W.D., 1919
The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Virgil C. Mottern, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action near Mazinghein, France, October 19, 1918. Sergeant Mottern lost his life while personally laying a telephone line over exceedingly dangerous ground, under continuous artillery fire which had caused a great loss among the runners. He attempted the laying of this line in order to give his men a rest in a place of safety.