The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander Felix F. Bertagna (NSN: 0-122117), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while serving as a pilot of an attack bomber, attached to Composite Squadron THIRTY-FIVE (VC-35), serving with Fighter Squadron FIFTY-FOUR (VF-54), on board U.S.S. ESSEX (CV-9), in action against hostile North Korean and Chinese forces. On 18 October 1951, Lieutenant Commander Bertagna was engaged in a pre-dawn heckler strike against enemy installations. In the complete darkness of the early morning, he made repeated low-level bombing attacks, scoring several direct hits upon truck convoys moving along a major supply route west of Wonsan. At dawn, he spotted a moving train in the vicinity of Yongchung, heavily laden with enemy supplies. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, he fearlessly dove through withering and accurate anti-aircraft fire and scored a direct hit upon the locomotive, which resulted in its derailment an rendered the entire train immobile. He persevered in his attack against the train and expended his entire load of strafing ammunition against the boxcars. His superb airmanship, coupled with his gallant devotion to duty, accounted for severe and costly damage being inflicted upon the enemy, and reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.