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 First Lieutenant (Corps of Engineers) Arthur Robert Simpson (ASN: 0-59030), United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as a member of the TENTH Corps Air Section, in action in Korea. On 12 February 1951, Lieutenant Simpson flew an unarmed liaison type aircraft over enemy-held territory to observe the disposition, location and strength of enemy troops. While flying at ridgetop level, he observed that a unit of the 8th Republic of Korea Division, located in a narrow valley, was surrounded by the enemy who held commanding terrain and had placed a roadblock which severed the withdrawal route of the unit. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Lieutenant Simpson flew at a dangerously low altitude and dropped two messages to the beleaguered unit. On these flights, he was under direct and unobstructed observation of the enemy and received intense machine gun and automatic weapons fire. In addition, because of the narrowness of the valley, his aircraft was flown dangerously close to the surrounding mountains. Because of the valiant actions of Lieutenant Simpson, the friendly unit was able to escape the enemy encirclement and reach a safe position. His heroism reflects great credit on himself and the military service.