William Odenwald

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to William Odenwald, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action at Cornay, France, October 9 – 10, 1918. After fighting for six hours, Private Odenwald volunteered to accompany 15 other soldiers and an officer on a night patrol of Cornay, which was held by many enemy machine-gun posts. The party worked from 11 o’clock at night until the next morning at clearing buildings and dugouts of the enemy, capturing 65 prisoners and two machine-guns. With six others, Private Odenwald volunteered and entered a dugout, where 23 prisoners were captured. He was wounded while leaving the town, but he refused to go to the aid station until the prisoners had been delivered at brigade headquarters.