The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Major Richard Edgar Johnson (AFSN: FV-3080105), United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as a B-52 Navigator near Hanoi, North Vietnam, on 18 December 1972. On that date, while engaged in one of the largest conventional bombing raids ever amassed in the recent history of aerial warfare, Major Johnson’s aircraft received significant battle damage as the result of extremely heavy surface-to-air missile and antiaircraft artillery fire. Major Johnson and his crew were in quest of massed supplies, communications equipment and transportation lines in order to eliminate the aggressor’s capacity to initiate an offensive. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Major Johnson reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.