The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant MacDonald Thompson, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as leader of a division of Torpedo Planes attached to a United States Aircraft Carrier during an engagement with Japanese naval forces off Guadalcanal on 13 to 15 November 1942. Lieutenant Thompson launched a devastating attack against a Japanese battleship of the KONGO class, in spite of heavy anti-aircraft fire and an umbrella of enemy fighters. He and his comrades scored three torpedo hits, stopping the enemy vessel and preventing her from shelling the aircraft installations on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, thereby contributing in great part to the outstanding success of this engagement. Lieutenant Thompson then took part in repeated attacks on major enemy forces.