The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant William Dean Armstrong (MCSN: 0-11938), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in aerial action as a Section Leader with a Marine Fighting Squadron against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area. On 21 August 1943, Lieutenant Armstrong, compelled to return from a patrol over Vella Lavella to the Munda base because of insufficient gasoline, though alone, turned back to meet a large enemy force reportedly heading for Vella Lavella. In the ensuing action with fifteen enemy planes, he destroyed an enemy fighter. On 23 August, as one of three Corsair pilots sent to intercept twelve enemy planes en route to attack the American base at Vella Lavella, Lieutenant Armstrong personally accounted for one enemy fighter and thus assisted in breaking up the formation of sixty to eighty fighters and dive-bombers. Lieutenant Armstrong played a large part in this interception by personally destroying a fighter and a dive-bomber. In the above missions and in numerous others Lieutenant Armstrong’s fighting spirit, high courage, and fearlessness have been in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.