The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain John David Holland (MCSN: 0-33373), United States Marine Corps, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Pilot of a Plane in Marine Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE (VMA-121), during operations against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 19 July 1953. Participating in a four-plane flight to seek out and destroy a large concentration of enemy troops massing for an all-out offensive against friendly ground forces, Captain Holland sighted the objective and, receiving permission to lead the flight on its strike, skillfully maneuvered his plane through intense and accurate enemy anti-aircraft fire from radar-controlled guns, carrying out an extremely low-level attack to score direct napalm hits on the target. When other flight members completed their runs, he again executed a daring low-level napalm assault and succeeded in scoring direct hits which caused two large secondary explosions. By his expert airmanship, courageous initiative and unwavering devotion to duty, Captain Holland contributed in large measure to the success of the flight in destroying the target and in greatly reducing enemy pressure on friendly front-line forces. His inspiring leadership throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.