Leo Joseph Lavoie was born on March 30, 1897 in Fitchburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the Army on may 12, 1917 and served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Corporal in Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He led his squad against an enemy machine gun which was causing severe losses in his company. His journey was made through a very difficult terrain and under deadly fire, but his mission was accomplished without the loss of a man. Later in the day, he was killed while leading his squad in the Argonne Forest, France, on October 9, 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1919. He is now buried in Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial, Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, Departement de la Meuse, Lorraine, France.