The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 19 December 1971. On that date, Captain Smith flew in a flight which was directing search and rescue forces attempting to recover two American crew members downed in northern Laos. Despite particularly adverse weather conditions, the continuous threat of attack from hostile aircraft, and the confirmed presence of hostile search parties, Captain Smith stayed on scene as long as the endurance of his aircraft would permit and aided immeasurably in forming and executing a plan which eventually met with complete success. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Captain Smith reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Sponsored by:
Awards Received
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Silver Star
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Air Force Cross
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Silver Star
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Legion of Merit
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Distinguished Flying Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Fourth Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Fifth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 1 May 1972. On that date, Captain Smith led a flight in support of a rescue force in a desperate attempt to evacuate 120 American and allied personnel from the highly contested and besieged city of Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Through his accurate ordnance delivery, Captain Smith afforded a protective smoke screen to allow the successful rescue of the beleaguered personnel. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Smith reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Distinguished Flying Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Third Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Fourth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 23 May 1972. On that date, Captain Smith led a flight of A-1 Skyraiders in a strike against hostile forces operating near An Loc, Republic of Vietnam. Despite adverse weather conditions which forced him to fly dangerously close to numerous hostile gun positions, Captain Smith continued to make low passes over the target delivering his ordnance with unprecedented accuracy destroying several motorized vehicles and a large petroleum products storage area, thus greatly hampering the mobility of the hostile forces throughout the region. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Smith reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Silver Star
Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces, Special Order GB-0029 (October 6, 1972)The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force in Southeast Asia on 19 March 1972. On that date, Captain Smith flew in support of an extremely hazardous and complex search and rescue mission that was attempting to recover two American crewmembers located in one of the most heavily defended segments of the Ho Chi Minh Train in southern Laos. In spite of the unprecedented volume of hostile ground fire directed at his slow moving aircraft, Captain Smith continued to attack the lethal anti-aircraft emplacements until they fell silent and his actions were instrumental in the successful recovery of both crewmembers. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Captain Smith has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Air Force Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia from 1 June 1972 to 2 June 1972. During this period, Captain Smith was on-scene commander for an extremely hazardous and complex search and rescue mission to recover an American crew member in the heavily fortified Red River Valley. In his efforts to locate the survivor, Captain Smith deliberately and repeatedly exposed his slow-moving aircraft to intense anti-aircraft fire to mark and pinpoint the survivor’s location. After directing air strikes to silence the threatening hostile forces, he led the vulnerable rescue helicopter to a safe and successful recovery of the downed crew member. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Captain Smith reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Distinguished Flying Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 18 December 1971. On that date, Captain Smith flew as wingman in a flight which was in command of rescue forces who were attempting to recover an American crew downed near the hostile and heavily defended Mu Gia Pass in Laos. Utilizing his resources with the skill and speed of a dedicated professional Captain Smith assisted in accomplishing a successful recovery of both crew members on the first attempt, thus denying the hostile forces time to organize an effective resistance. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Smith reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Silver Star
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Silver Star to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force in Southeast Asia on 20 May 1972. On that date, Captain Smith flew in support of an extremely hazardous and complex search and rescue mission attempting to rescue two downed crewmembers deep in North Vietnam. In spite of intense ground fire directed at his aircraft, the constant threat of hostile aircraft and surface-to-air missiles, Captain Smith helped locate the survivor and provided protective fire and smoke screen for the vulnerable rescue helicopters. These conspicuous actions were instrumental in the successful rescue of a downed airman from advancing hostile search parties. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Captain Smith has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Distinguished Flying Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Third Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Pilot in Southeast Asia on 2 March 1972. On that date, Captain Smith acting as on-scene commander, directed a search and rescue mission for the pilot of a forward air control aircraft that had been downed by hostile fire in southern Laos. In an attempt to quiet the intense and accurate ground fire, Captain Smith led his flight of four A-1 aircraft through the heavy barrage to treetop level and succeeded in suppressing the hostile fire thus allowing the vulnerable helicopters to safely clear the area and complete their mission. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Captain Smith reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Distinguished Flying Cross
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Silver Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Sixth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia from 8 April 1972 to 13 April 1972. During this period, Captain Smith flew in support of a search and rescue mission attempting to recover downed American aircrew members located ten miles south of the Demilitarized Zone in South Vietnam. Captain Smith penetrated marginal weather conditions in the face of hostile ground fire to give aid and support to the survivors thus insuring their eventual recovery. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Smith reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Legion of Merit
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
ColonelAction Date:
August 31, 1982 – July 13, 1984
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, 20 July 1942, takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Colonel Ronald E. Smith, United States Air Force, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Chief, Surface Attack Study Group of the Fighter Division and Chief of the Fighter Division, Assistant Chief of Staff, Studies and Analyses, Headquarters United States Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, District of Columbia, from 31 August 1982 to 13 July 1984. During this period, Colonel Smith’s exceptional performance, dynamic leadership and personal dedication as an analyst, study director and manager were vitally important in shaping security decisions critical to the strength and posture of the United States Air Force and the NATO alliance. The unique blend of his superior analytical skills, extensive fighter background and aggressive managerial ability enabled him to work several of the toughest problems confronting theater air warfare strategists. His foresight, perseverance and initiative have made major and lasting contributions to our nation’s military readiness and tactical capability. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Colonel Smith reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.