The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Colonel Elliott E. Bard (MCSN: 0-4418), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Commanding Officer of Marine Photographic Squadron ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR (VMD-154), from 10 November 1942 to date. This squadron composed of PB4Y-1 photographic planes has operated continuously in the Solomon Islands area flying far into enemy territory on photographic missions. The first four months of operations, during the critical period of the Guadalcanal campaign, flew without fighter protection, encountering enemy anti-aircraft and fighter opposition continuously. Lieutenant Colonel Bard led a flight to Truk, a distance of 2,900 miles into enemy territory, where photographs were made of Pulawat and Pulap Islands. During the New Georgia campaign, the photographic planes of VMD-154 were continually employed in photographing enemy territory, for the advance of our troops, and in making daily coverage of enemy airfields. Lieutenant Colonel Bard has flown over 300 combat hours as pilot as well as flight commander on these missions.