The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Commander Arthur K. Knoizen, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight during the air strike against Bach Long Vi Island, North Vietnam, on 29 March 1965. As flight leader of a 10-plane A-1H strike element, Commander Knoizen led his flight under extremely poor weather conditions and conducted a successful attack on assigned targets. He personally scored a direct hit on the barracks buildings. Although several preceding jet attack aircraft had been shot down by the intense anti-aircraft fire, he led his flight in a second attack to insure target destruction. The mission resulted in secondary explosions which continued for hours after the strike. Upon completion of the attack, he led four planes in a search for downed pilots.