The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant William J. Geritz, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight during World War II. Persistently circling over an area disturbed by air bubbles in the Pacific Area, Lieutenant Geritz maintained position until the conning tower of a hostile submarine appeared. He then launched an attack at extremely low altitude, dropping a depth charge which exploded just abaft of the conning tower and left large patches of oil and debris on the water.