The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant John David Bridgers (NSN: 0-104530), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Scout Dive Bomber and Division Leader in Bombing Squadron FIFTEEN (VB-15), attached to the U.S.S. ESSEX (CV-9), in action against enemy Japanese surface forces in the vicinity of the Philippine Islands during the Battle of Leyte Gulf on 25 October 1944. In command of fourteen airplanes Lieutenant Bridgers initiated the strike upon the enemy disposition and coordinated his dives perfectly with other attacking aircraft. In the face of intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire from the entire enemy formation, he obtained one of eight direct hits upon a carrier of the CHITOSE class. As leader of the dive bomber group, he so effectively disposed his aircraft that the resulting successive hits upon this ship caused it’s almost immediate sinking. Undaunted in the face of relentless, devastating anti-aircraft fire, he rendered gallant service during the bitterly fought engagement in which all carriers, a light cruiser and a destroyer of the enemy’s task force were sunk and heavy bomb and torpedo damage inflicted on battleships and other important naval units. By his daring airmanship, exceptional courage and steadfast devotion to duty through a perilous assignment, Lieutenant Bridgers contributed materially to the sinking of this valuable enemy fighting unit and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.