The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Commander James B. Taylor, Jr., United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while testing a new plane for the Navy at Dahlgren, Maryland. In March 1939, he lost consciousness as a result of severe acceleration during the pull out after a high-speed dive but, with part of his aircraft torn loose and a wing deformed, brought the plane under control. On 25 May 1942, he volunteered for an exceptionally dangerous test flight to test a new Navy fighter plane and lost his life when the electrical control mechanism failed to function.