The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Commander Frederick Edward Bakutis (NSN: 0-75028), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane and Commanding Officer of Fighting Squadron TWENTY (VF-20), attached to the U.S.S. ENTERPRISE (CV-6), in action against enemy Japanese forces in Philippine waters during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on 24 October 1944. Aggressively leading a small search group on a strike against an enemy task force, Commander Bakutis succeeded in locating the concentration of hostile vessels and immediately reported the location to his base. Then, launching a brilliant attack on the Japanese ships, he fought his plane gallantly in the face of a withering barrage of accurate antiaircraft fire and gunfire from the enemy’s main batteries, personally scoring direct hits with his rockets on a battleship and contributing in large measure to the damaging of one cruiser and two other battleships during this fierce action. By his forceful leadership and outstanding tactical ability, Commander Bakutis was in large measure responsible for the neutralization of Japanese surface forces in this strategic area and his unwavering devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.