William J. Farrell

By direction of the President, under the provisions of the act of Congress approved July 9, 1918 (Bul. No. 43, W.D., 1918), First Lieutenant (Chaplain) William J. Farrell, United States Army, is cited by the Commanding General, American Expeditionary Forces, for gallantry in action and a silver star may be placed upon the ribbon of the Victory Medals awarded him. Chaplain Farrell distinguished himself by gallantry in action while serving with the 104th Infantry Regiment, 26th Division, American Expeditionary Forces, in action at Seicheprey, France, 19 April 1918, in personally conducting an ambulance over a shell-swept road to evacuate the wounded.

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to William J. Farrell, First Lieutenant (Chaplain), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action at Seicheprey, France, April 20, 1918. With great gallantry and with utter disregard for his own danger, Chaplain Farrell personally conducted an ambulance from the battalion command post to the position of a supporting battery, where he assisted in the evacuation of the wounded. At Ville-devant-Chaumont, France, November 9, 1918, when informed that one of the men of his battalion had been mortally wounded, Chaplain Farrell, in spite of extremely heavy artillery and flanking machine-gun fire, made his way by running and crawling from shell hole to shell hole until he reached the dying soldier to whom he gave the last rites of his church and with whom he remained until the soldier died.