The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant John H. Daly, III, United States Marine Corps, for heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight while serving with Marine Observation Squadron TWO (VMO-2), Marine Aircraft Group Sixteen, First Marine Aircraft Wing in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On the afternoon of 22 October 1969, First Lieutenant Daly launched as Copilot aboard the second aircraft in a flight of two AH-1G Cobra helicopters assigned the mission of supporting the emergency extraction of a seven-man Marine reconnaissance team which had sustained four casualties while heavily engaged with a numerically superior hostile force in a mountainous area southwest of Thuong Duc in Quang Nam Province. Arriving over the designated area, he found that extremely adverse weather conditions which shrouded the surrounding mountains and created a low ceiling varying from fifty to one hundred feet above ground level would severely restrict both visibility and the aircraft’s area of maneuverability and was informed that the beleaguered patrol was under a heavy volume of enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire from two sides. After his flight’s first approach to the extraction site was aborted, First Lieutenant Daly skillfully monitored his instruments and equipment and provided a continuous flow of vital information which enabled his gunship to be maneuvered down through the overcast and to arrive over the Marines’ position on its second approach attempt. Undaunted by the intensity of the hostile fire directed at his aircraft, he ably provided precise flight data and delivered such accurate and effective machine gun fire upon the enemy positions during repeated strafing runs that attempts by the hostile force to assault the patrol were thwarted. On his flight’s third approach to the team’s position, First Lieutenant Daly continued to expertly provide flight and clearance information as his helicopter penetrated the dense cloud cover and proceeded deeper into the overcast just inches from the treetops with forward visibility of less than twenty feet. When his flight reached a position within one hundred meters of the Marines, it was advised to lift out of the area in order to permit transport helicopters, which were supported by Cobra helicopters assigned to relieve his flight, to insert a reaction force. His skill in assisting in the execution of attacks upon the hostile positions under exceptionally adverse conditions was instrumental in protecting the reconnaissance team until it was subsequently safely extracted. First Lieutenant Daly’s courage, superior airmanship, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of great personal danger were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.