The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant (Field Artillery) Max R. Tadlock (ASN: 0-1172308), United States Army, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on 17 December 1944 in Belgium. Upon learning that the enemy threatened to overrun the airstrip on which his liaison aircraft was based, Lieutenant Tadlock proceeded to the area and there observed a tank firing at his plane and at others nearby. Faced with the choice of either destroying his aircraft to prevent its capture or flying it from the field at great personal risk, Lieutenant Tadlock braved the intense machine gun fire in an attempt to evacuate the plane. He courageously prepared his aircraft for flight, maneuvered it across the strip, and skillfully flew it to safety. By his flying skill and extraordinary heroism, Lieutenant Tadlock exemplified the highest traditions of the armed forces.