The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant John M. Elliott, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement in the line of his profession while participating in aerial flight as Pilot of a U.S. Navy Patrol Plane on 9 July 1943, when an enemy submarine was attacked. Lieutenant Elliott was on convoy coverage flight when he sighted an enemy submarine. He went into action immediately and with an extraordinary demonstration of airmanship maneuvered his plane into position and attacked the submarine. The attack was extremely accurate; the four depth charges bracketed the submarine and exploded close aboard on both sides. The action described above in which the enemy submarine was severely damaged and probably destroyed reflects great credit upon the United States Naval Service.