The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Navy Award) to Flight Lieutenant W. R. B. Watson, Royal New Zealand Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as flight commander of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Squadron serving under a Marine Aircraft Group in combat against Japanese forces at Guadalcanal, in 1942. Flight Lieutenant Watson consistently carried out the many and varied patrols assigned him. He led the first night bombing raid on Munda to be made by his squadron and, in spite of heavy anti-aircraft fire and a bad weather front, successfully bombed the runway of that vital Japanese airport. A few days later, while following hostile surface craft, he was attacked by a flight of Zeros, but by his excellent airmanship and cool courage, he finally escaped.