The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Gordon R. Fiss, United States Navy, for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight during World War II. Although he had just returned from a long and arduous patrol flight, Lieutenant Fiss volunteered to take his Catalina Patrol Bomber out again to provide protection for a convoy moving out the same night. As the convoy moved slowly along, Lieutenant Fiss spotted a submarine on the surface, coming up astern of the group of ships. He immediately put his plane into a dive and dropped down upon the U-boat. The submarine attempted to crash dive, but so swift was Lieutenant Fiss’ attack that only her bow was awash as he released his depth charges. The charges severely damaged the U-boat, making it impossible for her to submerge, and she was destroyed shortly thereafter by gunfire from surface vessels accompanying the convoy.