The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Second Lieutenant Augustus L. Arndt (MCSN: 0-12605), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. In the late afternoon of 2 January 1943, Second Lieutenant Frazer leading a nine plane division of dive-bombers was ordered to contact and bomb ten enemy destroyers which were steaming toward Guadalcanal. Contact was made at 1800, about one hundred and seventy-five miles from base, after flying for an hour and a half through inclement weather. Lieutenant Frazer pressed home his attack in the face of terrific anti-aircraft fire from the destroyers which were violently maneuvering. Participating in this attack were: Captain Gilbert who was instrumental in the sinking of one destroyer by obtaining a direct hit on it, Lieutenant Cummings who made a direct hit on another destroyer, leaving it burning fiercely and which was later reported to have sunk, Lieutenant Arndt who materially aided in the sinking of one of the destroyers by a direct hit amidships. Following the attack, which resulted in the loss of two ships to the enemy, the dive-bombers were themselves attacked by enemy fighters which were engaged by a friendly fighter escort. Intelligent leadership by Lieutenant Frazer enabled him to rendezvous his division and evade the enemy. Return to base was made without the loss of a single plane.