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) William J. Little (ASN: 0-1170835), United States Army, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on 17 December 1944 in Belgium. Lieutenant Little, upon learning that the enemy threatened to overrun the airstrip on which his liaison aircraft was based, proceeded to the area, and, upon arriving there, observed an enemy tank, two hundred yards away, firing at his plane and at others nearby, and also a concentration of timed artillery fire which was intended to prevent the possible evacuation of aircraft. Lieutenant Little courageously succeeded in running his craft through a gauntlet of intense enemy fire, and, when in the air, rendered invaluable aid in reconnaissance and in adjusting friendly artillery fire, thus helping to check the German counterattack.