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 Sergeant Eugene Light, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in the North African Theatre of operations as a waist-gunner of a B-17 type aircraft. On 18 June 1943, while on a raid over Messina, Sicily, Sergeant Light’s aircraft, after the loss of numbers one and two engines, was forced to leave the rest of the formation and dive for the protection of the sea. Immediately thereafter, his aircraft was intercepted by twenty-five ME 109’s and FW 190’s. Sergeant Light through great skill and coolness, succeeded in destroying one ME 109, probably destroying another, and damaging several others. Later, while making a forced landing on the Island of Pantelleria, Sergeant Light again aided greatly in driving off the attacks of four FW 190’s. Sergeant Light’s courage and skill have reflected the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.