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 Commander Horace C. Branham (NSN: 0-176402), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a pilot of an attack plane of Attack Squadron ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE (VA-25) on board the U.S.S. ORISKANY (CVA-34), on 21 January 1953. While flying a close air support mission as strike leader over Communist-held North Korea, near the enemy’s front lines, Lieutenant Commander Branham was assigned the important mission of destroying enemy trenches, mortar and automatic weapons positions located three hundred meters from friendly front line positions. Despite heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire in the vicinity of the target, he personally scored ten direct hits in an occupied trench line, destroying fifty yards of trench. His subsequent bombing and strafing attacks heavily damaged three automatic weapons emplacements and four mortar positions. His superb airmanship, aggressiveness and steadfast devotion to duty, with complete disregard for his personal safety, materially aided the efforts of the United Nations Forces against the enemy and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.