The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Commander Eugene Andrew Cernan (NSN: 0-561203/1310), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States as the Lunar Exploration Module Pilot and crew member of the APOLLO 10 spacecraft on its historic mission around the moon during the period 18 May to 26 May 1969. Commander Cernan handled his most difficult assignment with great ability and outstanding success. The professional manner in which he performed in the critical moments of separation and rendezvous with the Command Module, and throughout the entire flight of APOLLO 10, demonstrated exceptional competence and was essential to the success of the mission. Watched by the entire world, the superb performance of APOLLO 10 and her crew enabled the United States to vastly increase its knowledge and experience in outer space and to prepare the way for Manned Lunar Landings. By his exceptional and peerless performance, his technical ability, and his great achievements in space, Commander Cernan rendered inestimable and distinguished service to the United States, thereby reflecting the highest credit on himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Captain Eugene Andrew Cernan (NSN: 0-561203/1310), United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States as the Spacecraft Commander for the APOLLO 17 flight to the Taurus-Littrow Region of the Moon, during the period 6 to 19 December 1972. Responsible for the on-board control of the spacecraft Command Module AMERICA and the Lunar Module CHALLENGER, Captain Cernan, through his brilliant and able performance, was an essential element in the success of this vital scientific moon mission. He was on the surface of the Moon for a record time of seventy-five hours, twenty-one of which were spent outside of the Lunar Module conducting vital scientific experiments and gathering invaluable samples of the Moon’s surface. As a result of Captain Cernan’s skillful leadership, professional competence and dedication, this final APOLLO mission with its numerous tasks and vital scientific experiments, was accomplished in an outstanding manner, thus enabling science to determine more precisely the Moon’s original formation and further forecast man’s proper role in the exploration of his universe. By his courageous and sincere devotion to duty, Captain Cernan rendered valuable and distinguished service and contributed greatly to the success of the United States Space Program, thereby upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.