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 Jules M. Busker, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. On 25 April 1944, as commander of a PBY-5 aircraft on air-sea rescue duty in the Southwest Pacific, he landed in heavy seas in an area regularly patrolled by enemy aircraft to rescue six Army and nine Navy flight personnel, and succeeded in taking off under the most difficult conditions and returning the rescued aviators to base. In performing this feat after another PBY-5 aircraft manned by experienced personnel had been lost in the attempt, he demonstrated courageous disregard of his own safety and an unusually high degree of professional skill, which was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.