The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal to Major General John Peter Flynn (AFSN: 0-15760/AO41234/15133928), United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility. General Flynn distinguished himself as Commander of the 4th Allied Prisoner of War Wing, Hanoi, North Vietnam, while a Prisoner of War during the period March 1971 to April 1973. Despite constant threatening pressure from enemy officers and guards, General Flynn established a command which met challenged of never-ending variety. The effectiveness of the organization and the impact of his leadership against enemy programs of prisoner exploitation were best illustrated by the number of times which General Flynn and key members of his staff were segregated from the main body of prisoners. However the prisoner organization was so well grounded by that time there was no loss in capability to continue to function as a Wing. Every decision that General Flynn made was a difficult one, but he made them without yielding to the easy or indifferent. He created the 4th Allied Prisoner of War Wing and led it through constant crises in terms of what was best for our country, then best for the Wing, and lastly, what was best for the individual, finally bringing his men out with honor and dignity. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of General Flynn reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.