The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy and Marine Corps Medal to Lieutenant Commander (MC) John T. Vincent, United States Navy, for heroic conduct on 19 January 1960 while serving with the THIRD Marine Aircraft Wing, Aircraft, Fleet Marine Force Pacific, Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, (Santa Ana), California. When two aircraft collided and interlocked upon landing on the East-West runway, trapping one of the pilots within the cockpit, Lieutenant Commander Vincent immediately proceeded to the scene of the crash and voluntarily joined the crash crew in attempting to extricate the pilot. Despite an intense fire centered beneath the cockpit area, and the obvious and imminent danger of an explosion, he remained with the victim throughout the 25 minutes required to complete the rescue. During this period, Lieutenant Commander Vincent protected the seriously injured airman from further burns by wrapping protective jackets about the man’s body and by interposing his own foam-covered body between the pilot and the searing flames. In the final stages of the rescue, he placed his upper torso within the cockpit and used his own arms as shields against the yielding metal. After the removal of the victim from the aircraft, he accompanies him and administered medical aid during a lengthy helicopter trip to a naval hospital.