The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Colonel Graham H. Benson (MCSN: 0-5308), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight against the enemy in Korea. On 11 July 1952, Lieutenant Colonel Benson led a massed flight of Marine attack aircraft in a bombing assault on concentrated batteries of anti-aircraft artillery surrounding the enemy capitol of Pyongyang. Diving across the heavily defended industrial area of the city, Lieutenant Colonel Benson led a bold attack through a screen of intense fire and, with his own bombs, destroyed two heavy anti-aircraft positions and sixteen automatic weapons. Lieutenant Colonel Benson’s brilliant and daring leadership and expert dive bombing were primarily responsible for the success of a mission that inflicted severe losses upon the enemy and neutralized much of the defensive fire protecting the key enemy stronghold. His courageous actions and unswerving devotion to duty throughout reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.