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 Lieutenant Colonel Daniel J. Hampton, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as F-16CJ Fighter Pilot, 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 363d Expeditionary Operations Group, 363d Air Expeditionary Wing at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 7 April 2003. On that date, near Baghdad, Iraq, Colonel Hampton exhibited outstanding airmanship and absolute dedication to the mission under extremely hazardous conditions. Colonel Hampton’s flight was re-rolled by the Combined Air Operations Center for a special mission in the area of an airfield in Baghdad. Colonel Hampton ensured the targeting data was precise and all friendly forces near the area were located and avoided. Formulating an attack plan that accounted for the marginal target area weather and dense concentration of surface-to-air threats, Colonel Hampton and his wingman began the first of two attacks. Heavy enemy anti-aircraft artillery and multiple surface-to-air missile batteries forced Colonel Hampton to react defensively, yet he pressed on with his attacks destroying two helicopters with precision cluster munitions while his wingman destroyed the third helicopter. Evading the continuous enemy fire, Colonel Hampton made a second pass to ensure all three aircraft had been destroyed. Colonel Hampton’s courage, aggressiveness and lethal tactical execution under extremely dangerous circumstances directly resulted in the destruction of all three helicopters and the overall success of the mission. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Colonel Hampton 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 with Combat “V” to Lieutenant Colonel Daniel J. Hampton, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as F-16CJ Fighter Pilot, 77th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 363d Expeditionary Operations Group, 363d Air Expeditionary Wing at Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 24 March 2003. On that date, near Nasiriyah, Iraq, Colonel Hampton led his flight into the hostile sky over Nasiriyah where the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force was engaged into a street-to-street combat. The enemy reinforcement corridor lay along a single road north of the city and it was here that the forward air controller directed urgent immediate interdiction. Colonel Hampton rapidly oriented himself to the highly dynamic ground battle and immediately directed the movement of air refueling assets closer to Nasiriyah to increase his time on station. Deteriorating weather conditions and the absolute need to avoid fratricide by positively identifying the target necessitated a low altitude attack through the heat of the surface-to-air threat envelope. Colonel Hampton commenced the attack with his 20-millimeter cannon. He targeted the largest military vehicle along the road and skillfully destroyed it in a single pass. The destruction of this target blocked the Iraqi supply line and significantly delayed further enemy reinforcement during this critical battle. Colonel Hampton’s courage under fire, his heroism and commitment to mission success led to battlefield victory, the saving of coalition lives and the overall objectives of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Colonel Hampton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.