The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Armor) James Allen Crowley, II (ASN: 0-5256958), United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty on 10 October 1968 while serving with the Air Cavalry Troop of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in the Republic of Vietnam. On this date in the vicinity of Tan Uyen, Lieutenant Crowley was leading a scout team on a low level visual reconnaissance mission in search of a Viet Cong unit which had been observed earlier in the immediate area. Suddenly the scout team received an intensive volley of automatic weapons fire from a heavily-wooded area. In the initial burst of fire, Lieutenant Crowley’s wingman received numerous hits, completely disabling the aircraft which crashed into the middle of the Viet Cong positions. Completely disregarding his personal safety, Lieutenant Crowley dropped down and began to circle the area in order to provide cover for his downed comrades. Observing a small landing zone nearby, Lieutenant Crowley landed in the enemy-infested area and dispatched his crew chief to the scene of the crash. Upon learning that the crew chief of the downed aircraft could not be moved due to his critical injuries, Lieutenant Crowley flew his ship to an area surrounded by 60-foot tall trees which was closer to the crash site in order to successfully extract him. Due to Lieutenant Crowley’s courage and outstanding flying ability, the injured crewman was successfully evacuated. First Lieutenant Crowley’s unwavering devotion to duty and exceptional heroism were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.