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 Major Earl L. Thornton (AFSN: FV-3034442), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-105 Pilot over North Vietnam on 6 July 1967. On that date, Major Thornton was in a flight assigned to attack a rail yard northeast of Hanoi. Flying through withering anti-aircraft fire he delivered his bombs precisely on target and caused heavy damage throughout the yard. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Major Thornton 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 addition to a previously awarded Silver Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Seventh Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Major Earl L. Thornton (AFSN: FV-3034442), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-105 Thunderchief pilot over North Vietnam on 24 August 1967. On that date, Major Thornton was a member of a flight of three F-105s assigned the task of attacking a railroad yard in North Vietnam. Even though his dive bomb attack was made under intense anti-aircraft fire and in a dangerous MiG environment with one member of the flight missing, he succeeded in placing his bombs directly on target, resulting in large secondary explosions and the destruction of rail facilities and vital rolling stock. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Major Thornton 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 addition to a previously awarded Silver Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Seventh Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to Major Earl L. Thornton (AFSN: FV-3034442), United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight over North Vietnam on 11 August 1967. On that date, Major Thornton was Deputy Mission Commander of the historic raid on the Hanoi Railroad and Highway Bridge. Major Thornton helped plan the strike tactics and flew his aircraft through intense flak and multiple SAM attacks to place his ordnance precisely on target. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Major Thornton 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 Fourth Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Fifth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Major Earl L. Thornton (AFSN: FV-3034442), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-105 Pilot over North Vietnam on 22 May 1967. On that date, Major Thornton was a member of a flight of F-105’s assigned the task of protecting the main strike force of twenty F-105’s. In addition to completing his assigned task, despite extremely heavy defenses, including six surface-to-air missiles and problems such as aircraft malfunctions, Major Thornton and the flight were successful in negating the missile threat to the main strike force and destroyed one missile site. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Major Thornton 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 to Major Earl L. Thornton (AFSN: FV-3034442), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-105 Thunderchief Pilot over North Vietnam on 10 July 1967. On that date, Major Thornton flew his heavily loaded F-105 Thunderchief through thunderstorms and extremely adverse weather conditions to attack a target deep in hostile territory. Despite low cloud cover which restricted navigation and obscured the target, he bombed with pinpoint accuracy resulting in 100% target destruction. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Major Thornton 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 to Major Earl L. Thornton (AFSN: FV-3034442), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-105 Pilot over North Vietnam on 13 June 1967. On that date, Major Thornton attacked an important rail yard on one of the major rail lines in North Vietnam. Direct hits were scored in the rail yard, causing several secondary explosions, destroying numerous boxcars, and interdicting the rail line. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Major Thornton 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 Major Earl L. Thornton (AFSN: FV-3034442), United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-105 Thunderchief Pilot over North Vietnam on 30 May 1967. On that date, Major Thornton flew through a hail of hostile fire and engaged hostile MiG aircraft en route to a high priority target. He was required to drop his bombs in a diving attack through marginal weather conditions, but placed his bombs directly on their mark. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Major Thornton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.