The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Air Medal to Lieutenant Commander Rudolph Charles Bauer (NSN: 0-63372), United States Navy, for meritorious achievement in aerial flight as Pilot of a Navy rescue plane following the crash of an Army bomber off the coast of Gearhart, Oregon, on the morning of 20 November 1942. Proceeding to the area immediately upon receipt of a report of the accident, Lieutenant Commander Bauer, after an intensive search over floating wreckage and oil slick, spotted a lone survivor in the water less than one mile off shore. In the face of high winds and heavy swells he effected a precarious landing at sea, hauled the helpless man aboard, and flew him back to medical attention in such a shocked and exhausted condition that a few minutes’ delay might have proven fatal. By his superb airmanship, maintained with utter disregard for his own personal safety, he saved the life of a member of the United States Army Air Corps who might otherwise have perished from exposure.