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.

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.

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.

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.

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.