The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Alton N. Parker (MCSN: 0-4006), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as test pilot on 5 December 1929 during a flight of exploration over the unexplored regions of the Antarctic. This flight is one of the outstanding accomplishments of the expedition, as a new land was claimed in the name of the United States and one of the mysteries of the Antarctic solved in the discovery of a new mountain range running generally north and south. Captain Parker, in piloting the plane throughout the flight, demonstrated his exceptional ability as a pilot and showed a high degree of courage in flying far from base over water and ice where in places a forced landing would have meant disaster. He met every emergency in flight, executed orders with quickness of determination, and showed throughout a fearlessness and courage that upheld in every way the traditions of the service.