The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Commander George David Ghesquiere (NSN: 0-82512), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Dive Bomber of Bombing Squadron EIGHTEEN (VB-18), attached to the U.S.S. INTREPID (CV-11), in action against enemy Japanese forces during the Battle for Leyte Gulf, on 25 October 1944. An intrepid and daring airman, Lieutenant Commander Ghesquiere gallantly led his squadron in a furious attack against major units of the Japanese Fleet through intense barrages of anti-aircraft fire and, relentlessly pressing home his deadly attack, scored a direct hit on an enemy carrier, assisting in its confirmed sinking. By his brilliant airmanship and aggressive fighting spirit, he contributed directly to the annihilation of the hostile Carrier Task Force, thereby removing a serious threat to our ground forces in the Philippine Islands. Lieutenant Commander Ghesquiere’s great personal valor and devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.