The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Commander Douglas S. Taylor, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary achievement in aerial flight while serving as pilot aboard Coast Guard HH-60 helicopter 6042 on the night of 22 December 1997. The crew was engaged in the dramatic rescue of a survivor from the 36-foot Fishing Vessel CALLISTO that sank in an Alaskan gale 40 miles south of Sitka, Alaska. Commander Taylor expertly piloted helicopter 6042 through 45-knot winds and one-quarter mile visibility in blowing snow and sleet to the scene. The lone survivor was stranded in a life raft being blown towards the treacherous rocky coastline and pounding surf. As the helicopter approached the raft it became clear that the severity of the turbulence would make maintaining a stable hover impossible. The 20-foot waves rebounded off the nearby rocks causing a doubly confused sea state, which violently tossed the life raft. As Commander Taylor struggled to deliver the rescue basket to the survivor, brutal downdrafts from the nearby cliffs repeatedly drove the helicopter down to within 40-feet of the raging sea. Undaunted by the overwhelming conditions, Commander Taylor implemented innovative rescue techniques, one after the other, determined to save the imperiled mariner. After struggling in a constant hover for nearly an hour, and with the survivor now only yards from the rocks, Commander Taylor miraculously delivered the rescue basket to the rafts entrance, allowing the survivor to leap into the rescue basket where he was hoisted to safety. Commander Taylor’s actions and aeronautical skill were instrumental to the successful rescue. His courage, judgment, and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.