The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Aviation Radioman First Class Walter N. Nelson, United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Radioman/Gunner of a Torpedo Plane in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Coral Sea on 7 and 8 May 1942. While subjected to intense anti-aircraft fire, Radioman Nelson participated in attacks on enemy aircraft carriers and due to skillful and effective countermeasures against enemy fighters attacking the squadron of which he was a member, two type ’97 enemy fighter planes were shot down and destroyed by rear seat gunfire. These actions and the scoring of a hit on an enemy aircraft carrier on 7 May, which contributed to the destruction of that vessel, were vital factors in the success attained by our forces in the Battle of the Coral Sea.