The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant [then Lieutenant, Junior Grade] David Rogers Hall, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber in Bombing Squadron FIFTEEN (VB-15, attached to the U.S.S. ESSEX (CV-9), in action against major units of the Japanese Fleet in the Sibuyan Sea, during the Battle for Leyte Gulf, on 24 October 1944. Fearlessly pressing home his attack at low altitude in the face of accurate and intense anti-aircraft fire from the entire enemy disposition, Lieutenant Hall succeeded in scoring a direct hit upon a Japanese battleship of the YAMATO Class. By his superb airmanship, exceptional courage and steadfast devotion to duty throughout a perilous engagement, Lieutenant Hall contributed materially to the defeat of the enemy in this heroic battle and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.