The Cordova daily times., 1923-01-20
SERVICE MEDAL ISAWARDED TO
 MAJ. C0TWALS

Award of the Distinguished Service Medal was made to Col J. c. Got. walls by the War Department. on, De cember 15 last, for conspicuous ser vices rendered by him in France dur ing the World War, according to of- ficial notification received. The medal has been forwarded to the Com. manding General, Ninth Corps Area, Presidio, San Francisco, for presen- tation to Colonel Gotwals.
 , The citation recommended to ac. company the D. s. M declared:
 Major John c. Gotwals, formerly Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of En gineers, for exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous service in the cre- aton, equipment, training and fight ] ing of the searchlight Units (56th Engineers) of the American Expedi- tionary Forces. After demonstrating his creative ability in developing while a member of the Board of En- gineer Troops numerous items of en- gineer equipment needed in the World War, he served in France from August 20, 1917, to November 15, 1918, in command of the 56th Engineers successfully with the Brit ish Army in the Somme Defensive, the French Army in the Somme De- fensive and the Aisne Offensive, and with the First and Second American i Armies in the St. Mihiel and Mouse Argonne Offensives. The conspicu- ous success of the cooperation of the searchlight and pursuit planes in combating enemy night bombers was due largely to his exceptional ingen uity, initiative and tireless vigilance" The citation also mentons service as member of the Board of Engineers, Command of all Searchlight Troops, director of AntiAircraft Searchlight School at Langres, in charge of Searchlight o. c. F., G. H. O., in charge of evacuation of Second Army and Advance Sections s. o. S. Areas, in charge of Base Section Mo- 2.
 Praises Old Regiment
 While Colonel Gotwals is naturally gratified at the decoration, he sad his principal pleasure is Gin the recognition of the services performed l bv the regiment carrying out all the searchlight work of the A. F.. F and also with British and French forces, which were of really slgnltl- cant value in combating night bomb- ing activities of the German forces, He went over in August, 1917, as c9ntain in command of a company of ITO Engineer troops. Of that number 120 were retained as the nucleus for the Searchlight Troops which were merged into the 5bth Fngineers, numbering 2,5oO men.
 His duties given briefly without attempting to go into detail includ- ed. At the Front with the First and Second American Armies and French and British forces, directing the oper- ations of Searchlight Troops rom the Seth Engineers and developing coordination of pursuit planes and searchlights in bringing down en- emy night bombing machines. and commanding the 56th Engineers; at IC. H. O., American EXpedit;onarY Forces, in charge of Searchlight sec tion; at Army Schools, director of the anti-aircraft searchlight school; in the Service of Supply, in charge of all the matters pertaining to searchlight supply and eXnerimenta- tion, directing the searchlight depot and machines at Gievres, the advance searchlight depot at Ft. Du Mont Valerien: directing the American section with American Air Service for searchlight training at Chateau Dun: advising in all directions from the A. F. F. to the War Department at home with reference to search light material and personnel; ad- vising the Chief of Engineers of flee in the United States with refer ence to searchlight experimentation, Board Reverses Self
 Colonel Gotwals was recommended for the D. S. M while in France and again in the United States. The Board of Decoration turned down the recommendations under an establish ed rule that the medal would not be awarded to officers under the rank of Colonel. In lieu he was given a certificate of meritoriOus service.