The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Raymond P. Ilg, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Pilot of an A-4C aircraft in Attack Squadron TWENTY-TWO (VA-22), embarked in U.S.S. MIDWAY (CVA_41), on 11 May 1965. After being involved in a mid-air collision, and with the rudder of the other aircraft still impaled in his fuselage, Lieutenant Ilg immediately requested and engaged an aerial refueling tanker aircraft to augment his rapidly decreasing fuel. When U.S.S. MIDWAY announced that a “ready deck” was available, he detached from the tanker four miles astern of the ship, lowered his landing gear, flaps and hook at 600 feet, checked the aircraft for controllability at landing speed, and made the decision to land the aircraft. While the aircraft was still streaming fuel heavily, he reported on the glide slope with 200 pounds of fuel remaining and made a normal carrier landing. On touchdown, the craft immediately erupted in flames, but Lieutenant Ilg left the plane without injury.