The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander Ray L. Dunkin, United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on 9 September 1965. Lieutenant Commander Dunkin piloted his photo reconnaissance aircraft on a mission over the Thanh Hoa railroad and railway bridge, a bridge used by hostile forces. Following the strike on the target, he began his photo run, encountering heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire from the area surrounding the bridge. He succeeded in maneuvering his aircraft to pass directly over the target, and obtained high quality photos enabling precise bomb damage assessment.