The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Shay R. Williams, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight from 29 August to 6 September 2005, as Aircraft Commander aboard Coast Guard HH-65B helicopters in response to hurricane KATRINA. Demonstrating exceptional aeronautical skill and judgment, and innovative urban search and rescue techniques for which he was not trained, he saved 91 survivors during 17 sorties totaling over 30 day and night flight hours. Overcoming the fatigue and stress of an unprecedented, week-long rescue operation, he repeatedly and skillfully pushed the power-limited HH65B to the edge of its performance envelope, close to unlighted hazards, despite continuous reports of violence and gunfire and the constant threat of midair collision in the congested, uncontrolled airspace. Immediately after storm passage, he made numerous tightly confined landings to evacuate stunned survivors. He coordinated the evacuation by tug of a stranded cargo ship, then skillfully completed a vertical surface rescue swimmer delivery to a school roof and hoisted 36 survivors to safety. He landed “light” on a damaged supermarket roof, rescuing 34 desperate, dehydrated victims. He displayed superlative interagency coordination skills as liaison to Task Force Eagle, coordinating hundreds of rescue missions with Department of Defense and Coast Guard assets. Immediately after a second 12 hour day as air liaison, he launched on a night rescue mission, systematically hovering through the city within feet of trees and power lines using night vision goggles to search for signs of life. Locating three people trapped in the floodwaters between the pitched roofs of homes, he adeptly positioned his aircraft between obstacles and recovered them with three flawless hoists. He continued hoisting and saving lives after being warned by authorities about a cloud of toxic hydrogen sulfide in the area, refusing to abandon the mission. Lieutenant Junior Grade Watson’ actions, aeronautical skill, and valor were Instrumental in the rescue of 91 victims. 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.