The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander Theodore Henry Faller, United States Navy, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as the pilot of a QF-86F aircraft while serving with the Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, California, on 13 August 1979. While leading a flight of two aircraft on a routine training mission, Lieutenant Commander Faller experienced mechanical problems with his aircraft shortly after take-off. Unable to rectify his aircraft problems to maintain flight, he elected to remain with his disabled aircraft maneuvering the craft away from a heavily populated residential district and an elementary school. The aircraft was professionally piloted to a controlled crash landing in a clearing within the residential area. Lieutenant Commander Faller’s superb airmanship and selfless, courageous actions a the ultimate sacrifice of his own life undoubtedly saved the lives of others; thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.