World War I last Names h q compiled and Edited By

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to James J. Pirtle, First Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 59th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division, A.E.F., in the Bois-du-Fays, France, October 4 - 5, 1918. Throughout the engagement in the Bois-du-Fays Lieutenant Pirtle led his men with absolute disregard for his personal safety. He walked up and down the lines under intense enemy machine-gun and artillery fire, encouraging his men and consolidating his position. His courageous example contributed greatly to the success of the operation in which his organization was engaged. He continued in action until severely wounded in the knee and was carried from the field.

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  General Orders No. 126, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Carlisle, Indiana

Pistikoudis, Theodore

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Theodore Pistikoudis, Private, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 5th Machine-Gun Battalion, 2d Division, A.E.F., near Chateau-Thierry, France, June 6, 1918. When three infantry men were buried by a shell explosion Private Pistikoudis fearlessly left shelter in face of heavy shelling and rescued them.

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  General Orders No. 99, War Department, 1918
  

Home Town: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pitts, William A.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to William A. Pitts, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company M, 167th Infantry Regiment, 42d Division, A.E.F., near Sergy, France, July 31, 1918. Being informed that a wounded man was lying in No Man's Land, Private Pitts immediately volunteered and, with Sergeant Collins, went to his aid. The intense fire of the enemy necessitated crawling the entire distance. While on the return trip the wounded man was hit by a machine-gun bullet and instantly killed, but these two men brought in the dead body, crawling with great difficulty over the shell-torn ground.

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  General Orders No. 23, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Anniston, Alabama

Piveteau, E. M.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to E. M. Piveteau, Lieutenant, Army of France, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 3d Battalion of Light Tanks, Assault Artillery, Army of France, near Massif Blanc Mont, France, October 3 - 8, 1918. During two attacks by the Second American Division, Lieutenant Piveteau repeatedly distinguished himself by his courage and utter disregard of danger in transmitting orders and gathering important information for his battalion commander. His zeal, devotion to duty and initiative were of the highest order.

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  General Orders No. 126, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: France

*Plassmeyer, Albert J., Jr.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Albert J. Plassmeyer, Jr., Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Battery E, 322d Field Artillery, 83d Division, A.E.F., near Brabant-sur-Meuse, France, October 22 - 23, 1918. Though mortally wounded and gassed, Private First Class Plassmeyer continued his work as telephone operator and lineman, repairing telephone lines and remaining on duty until ordered to be evacuated. His example of heroism and fortitude inspired those working with him.

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  General Orders 71, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Zelienople, Pennsylvania

*Platner, Aaron A.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Aaron A. Platner, Captain (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Division, A.E.F., near Medeah Ferme, France, October 3 - 9, 1918. Captain Platner repeatedly led his battalion against machine-gun nests', through terrific enemy bombardment, until his objectives were attained. During the progress of the attack, when his men were being cut down by hidden fire, he personally located the gun and shot the gunner. His gallant example to his troops was an important factor in the success of the attack.

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  General Orders No. 126, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Ellis, Kansas

Platt, Abner H.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Abner H. Platt, Captain (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 160th Machine-Gun Battalion, 27th Division, A.E.F., near St. Souplet, France, October 17, 1918. Captain Platt, while moving forward in the attack with machine-gun units, encountered a number of stragglers in a sunken road. He organized these men into a company and led them in attacking waves. Later he personally led a patrol which located and silenced enemy machine guns which were firing from a flank position.

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  General Orders No. No. 10, War Department, 1920
  

Home Town: West New Brighton, New York

*Platt, Chester Erastus

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Chester Erastus Platt, Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving with the Forty-Fifth Company, Fifth Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, A.E.F., in action at Chateau-Thierry, France, June 6, 1918. Killed in action, Corporal Platt gave the supreme proof of that extraordinary heroism which will serve as an example to hitherto untried troops.

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  General Order No. 110, War Department, 1918
  

Home Town: Lafayette, Indiana

Platt, Jonas Henry

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Jonas Henry Platt, First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving with the Fifth Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, A.E.F., in action near the Bois-de-Belleau, Chateau-Thierry, France, June 6, 1918. Seriously wounded in the leg early in the engagement, First Lieutenant Platt continued to direct, the operations not only of his platoon but of another. He charged and drove off the crew of an enemy machine-gun, supervised the disposition and digging in of a large part of his company, and yielded command only when exhausted from pain and loss of blood.

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  General Order No. 15, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Brooklyn, New York

Platten, Michael A.

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Michael A. Platten, Cook, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Battery B, 121st Field Artillery, 32d Division, A.E.F., near Chery- Chartreuve, France, August 14, 1918. When the gun crews of the platoons in the woods were forced to withdraw on account of the intense enemy shelling, a wounded man was left behind. Noticing this, Cook Flatten rushed into the woods despite the continued shelling and brought the man to safety.

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  General Orders No. 21, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Plauman, Herman

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Herman Plauman, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company H, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Division, A.E.F., near St. Gilles, France, August 3, 1918. After having just returned from a hazardous trip through heavy shell fire, Private Plauman volunteered and carried a message to his company commander. As he was about to complete his mission the company commander was mortally wounded by a shell. After administering first aid he reported back to his battalion commander, who, upon noticing that one of the runner's fingers was missing, ordered him to the rear for treatment.

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  General Orders No. 44, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Detroit, Michigan

Plemons, Russell L.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Russell L. Plemons, Corporal, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company L, 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division, A.E.F., near Ponchaux, France, October 7, 1918. After seeing two other soldiers killed while attempting to carry automatic-rifle ammunition through a heavy artillery and machine-gun barrage, Corporal Plemons volunteered for this dangerous mission and successfully accomplished it.

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  General Orders No. 37, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Lenoir City, Tennessee

*Plimpton, Chester H.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Chester H. Plimpton, First Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company F, 21st Engineers, A.E.F., at Thiaucourt, France, September 27, 1918. Lieutenant Plimpton exposed himself to heavy artillery fire in order to direct the repair of a railroad track over which ammunition was delivered to the batteries. The enemy made a determined effort to destroy the line of communication and subjected the locality to intense and accurate bombardment for a number of hours. The gallantry displayed by this officer was an important factor in the successful completion of t he mission assigned to him. He was killed by concussion of a large-caliber shell as his work was nearing completion.

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  General Orders No. No. 53, War Department, 1920
  

Home Town: Buffalo, New York

Plumley, Richard G.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Richard G. Plumley, Captain (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 39th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division, A.E.F., near the Bois-de-Septsarges, France, September 27, to October 10, 1918. On duty as regimental adjutant, Captain Plumley felt a place of safety, and going forward under heavy fire assisted in reforming the assault battalion, which had lost most its officers and was becoming disorganized. During the following days he repeatedly crossed areas which had been subjected to heavy gas bombardments, and as a result became almost blind and greatly weakened by gas poisoning. He refused to be evacuated, however, and remained on duty throughout the night, rendering valuable assistance to the regimental commander, who had just taken command.

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  General Orders 98, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Hartford, Connecticut

*Plummer, Charles W.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Charles W. Plummer, Second Lieutenant (Field Artillery), U.S. Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 88th Aero Squadron (Attached), 101st Field Artillery Regiment, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Fismes, France, August 11, 1918. John W. Jordan, second Lieutenant, 7th Field Artillery, observer; Roger W. Hitchcock, second lieutenant, pilot; James S. D. Burns, deceased, second lieutenant, 165th Infantry, observer; Joel H. McClendon, deceased, first lieutenant, pilot; Louis G. Bernheimer, first lieutenant, pilot; Philip R. Babcock, first Lieutenant, pilot; and Joseph A. Palmer, second lieutenant, 10th Field Artillery, observer. All of these men were attached to the 88th Aero Squadron, Air Service. Under the protection of three pursuit planes, each carrying a pilot and an observer, Lieutenants Bernheimer and Jordan, in charge of a photo plane, carried out successfully a hazardous photographic mission over the enemy's lines to the River Aisne. The four American ships were attacked by 12 enemy battle planes. Lieutenant Bernheimer, by coolly and skillfully maneuvering his ship, and Lieutenant Jordan, by accurate operation of his machine-gun, in spite of wounds in the shoulder and leg, aided materially in the victory which came to the American ships, and returned safely with 36 valuable photographs. The pursuit plane operated by Lieutenants Hitchcock and Burns was disabled while these two officers were fighting effectively. Lieutenant Burns was mortally wounded and his body jammed the controls. After a headlong fall of 2,500 meters, Lieutenant Hitchcock succeeded in regaining control of this plane and piloted it back to his airdrome. Lieutenants McClendon and Plummer were shot down and killed after a vigorous combat with five of the enemy's planes. Lieutenants Babcock and Palmer, by gallant and skillful fighting, aided in driving off the German planes and were materially responsible for the successful execution of the photographic mission.

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  General Orders No. 44, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: South Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Plummer, George, Jr.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to George Plummer, Jr., Private, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company L, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2d Division, A.E.F., south of Soissons, France, July 18 - 25, 1918. Private Plummer distinguished himself by volunteering three times to carry messages through heavy shell fire after all runners had been killed or wounded.

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  General Orders No. No. 117, War Department, 1918
  

Home Town: Bethesda, Maryland

Plush, Lewis C.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Lewis C. Plush, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 49th Aero Squadron, 2d Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Romagne, France, October 4, 1918. Lieutenant Plush was a member of a patrol of seven machines which attacked 17 enemy Fokkers. After shooting down one of the enemy, this officer returned to the fight and shot down another.

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  General Orders No. 15, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Pomona, California

Poe, Neilson

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Neilson Poe, Second Lieutenant (Infantry), U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Division, A.E.F., near Soissons, France, July 19, 1918. During the attack of his organization, after he had been severely wounded, Lieutenant Poe refused to be evacuated, but rejoined his organization and went forward to the attack through heavy enemy fire. The company commander being killed, Lieutenant Poe took command of the company and continued to direct it until the day's objective was reached. Although suffering great pain, he remained with his organization for more than 24 hours after he was wounded.

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  General Orders No. 72, War Department, 1920
  

Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland

Pohl, George H.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to George H. Pohl, Corporal, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company G, 126th Infantry Regiment, 32d Division, A.E.F., near Juvigny, north of Soissons, France, August 28, 1918. Corporal Pohl was severely wounded during the first stage of the advance, but he remained with his company until the objective was gained. He then went to the rear, where his wound was dressed, and was ordered to a hospital. When his evacuation was delayed by lack of ambulances, this soldier decided to return to the front line, where he reported to his commanding officer and volunteered to assist in carrying wounded to a dressing station. During the remainder of the operation, in spite of his wounds, he continued to assist in bringing the wounded in from a field constantly swept by machine-gun fire.

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  General Orders No. No. 1, War Department, 1926
  

Home Town: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Poillon, John J.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to John J. Poillon, Corporal, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company C, 311th Machine-Gun Battalion, 79th Division, A.E.F., near Montfaucon, France, September 29, 1918. Although engaged as company clerk, when the platoon to which he was attached was required to advance over a heavily shelled territory, Corporal Poillon volunteered and carried messages from his company commander to the platoon, the journey being made under the most hazardous conditions and under severest shell fire.

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  General Orders No. 46, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Milford, Pennsylvania

Pokorny, Robert

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Robert Pokorny, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, A.E.F., near Roncheres, France, July 28, 1918. Private Pokorny volunteered and went forward to recover the trail of a 37-mm. gun. Despite the great danger of heavy machine-gun fire, he succeeded in recovering and dragging it back to our lines.

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  General Orders No. 32, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Chicago, Illinois

Politte, Melvin J.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Melvin J. Politte, Corporal, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3d Division, A.E.F., near Grand Ballois Farm, France, July 15, 1918. After seeing many of his comrades killed or wounded in attempting the same mission, Corporal Politte went forward under heavy shell and gas bombardment and repaired telephone lines.

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  General Orders No. 32, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Old Mines, Missouri

Pollard, Russell

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Russell Pollard, Corporal, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company H, 365th Infantry Regiment, 92d Division, A.E.F., near Bois- Frehaut, France, November 10, 1918. During the assault on Bois Frehaut, Corporal Pollard, a rifle grenadier, conducted his squad skillfully in firing on hostile machine-guns until his rifle was broken. He then used his wire-cutter with, speed and skill under heavy shell and machine-gun fire, and although wounded in his right arm he continued to cut the wire with his left hand, and assisted his men in getting through it until ordered to the dressing station a second time by his company commander.

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  General Orders No. 44, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Anadarko, Oklahoma

Polley, Britton

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Britton Polley, First Lieutenant (Field Artillery), U.S. Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 99th Aero Squadron (Attached), U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Romagne, France, October 9, 1918. Lieutenant Polley was assigned to a mission to find line troops of the division to which his squadron was attached. Weather conditions made flying almost impossible, a second plane, assigned to the mission returning on that account. Flying at an altitude of 25 meters over enemy lines, he encountered and defeated three enemy patrols, gathering and delivering to his division headquarters most valuable information.

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  General Orders No. 35, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: New York, New York

Polley, John R.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to John R. Polley, Private, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company A, 110th Engineers, 35th Division, A.E.F., near Cheppy, France, September 26, 1918. When the infantry attack was held up by direct fire from an enemy concrete machine-gun emplacement, Private Polley, who was a member of a wire-cutting detail, charged the emplacement with one infantry soldier, capturing two guns and two prisoners and enabling the advance to continue.

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  General Orders No. 59, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Hutchinson, Kansas

Pollinger, Frank J.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Frank J. Pollinger, Private, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company G, 308th Infantry Regiment, 77th Division, A.E.F., near Charlevaux, France, October 3 - 7, 1918. During the period of four days, when his battalion was surrounded by the enemy and after his squad leader had been wounded, Private Pollinger took command of the squad, although he himself was suffering from a wound received four days previous. His indomitable courage and perseverance upheld the spirit and morale of his men under such trying circumstances, and he continued to direct their movements until forced out of action by a second wound.

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  General Orders No. 35, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Worcester, Massachusetts

Ponder, James W.

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to James W. Ponder, Private First Class, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Company G, 355th Infantry Regiment, 89th Division, A.E.F., in crossing the Meuse River, France, November 9 - 10, 1918. Private Ponder volunteered as a member of a patrol which was to cross the Meuse River by swimming at a point known to be heavily occupied by enemy detachments, on the night of November 9 - 10, to gain information of the enemy and to capture prisoners. When the members of the patrol reached the middle of the river, they were discovered by the enemy who immediately opened a severe fire upon them using artillery, machine guns, and hand grenades. The heavy fire compelled all but six men to return. With utter disregard for his own personal safety Private Ponder, one of the remaining members, continued on the mission and succeeded in crossing the river.

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  General Orders No. 6, War Department, 1930
  

Home Town: Gering, Nebraska

Ponder, William Thomas

Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to William Thomas Ponder, First Lieutenant (Air Service), U.S. Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 103d Aero Squadron, 3d Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Fontaines, France, October 23, 1918. Having been separated from, his patrol, Lieutenant Ponder observed and went to the assistance of an allied plane which was being attacked by 30 of the enemy. Lieutenant Ponder destroyed one enemy plane and so demoralized the remaining that both he and his comrade were able to return to their lines.

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  General Orders No. 46, War Department, 1919
  

Home Town: Mangum, Oklahoma