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 Chief Warrant Officer Two (CWO-2) Kristopher Hobt, United States Army, for exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the enemy of the United States as a Pilot-in-Command for A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Camp Striker, Iraq on 02 July 2007 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Chief Warrant Officer Two Kristopher Hobt demonstrated outstanding professional skill, knowledge, and heroism in assisting with the security and rescue of the crew of a downed OH-58D Kiowa Warrior Helicopter. On the morning of 02 July 2007, Chief Warrant Officer Two Hobt, flying as the co-pilot and pilot-in-command in the left seat, and Chief Warrant Officer Two Edward Gamble, piloting from the right seat, were flying an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, tail number 015, call sign Lighthorse 01, with their sister ship, Lighthorse 02, in support of ground operations south of Baghdad, Iraq. While conducting an area security mission, Lighthorse 01 and 02 heard Lighthorse 30, another OH-58D, asking for assistance over the local Air Traffic Control frequency. Lighthorse 30 and their sister ship, Lighthorse 27, had taken small arms and heavy machine gun fire from multiple directions, which forced Lighthorse 27 to crash land. Lighthorse 01 and 02 immediately broke station and began flying in the direction of the crash site. Once arriving on the scene, Lighthorse 01 began searching for the downed aircraft while Lighthorse 02 provided aerial security. While searching for Lighthorse 27, Lighthorse 01 and 02 also received small arms and heavy machine gun fire. Both aircraft performed evasive maneuvers and broke contact with the enemy. However, they quickly returned to the scene and continued searching. Upon locating Lighthorse 27, Chief Warrant Officer Two Hobt informed the Air Mission Commander that Lighthorse 01 was landing near the downed aircraft to assess the situation and determine the disposition of the crew. Lighthorse 01 landed approximately 40 meters from the crash site and, at extreme danger to himself, Chief Warrant Officer Two Hobt dismounted his aircraft with his M4 and a fire extinguisher, prepared to assist in securing the crew of Lighthorse 27. Once he arrived at the downed aircraft, Chief Warrant Officer Two Hobt noted that the crew was no longer there and their helmets were placed at the nose of the aircraft. Chief Warrant Officer Two Hobt returned to his own aircraft and reported to the Air Mission Commander that he believed the crew egressed the aircraft and began evading. As Lighthorse 01 took off from the crash site, Chief Warrant Officer Two Hobt saw one of the downed crewmembers moving in a canal near the downed aircraft. Lighthorse 01 began performing aerial security of the site with Lighthorse 02 as an AH-64 landed and extracted the crew of Lighthorse 27 safely to Baghdad International Airport. Chief Warrant Officer Two Hobt’s actions are in keeping with the finest tradition of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, this Command, and the United States Army.