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 First Lieutenant (Armor) Hugh Louis Mills, Jr. (ASN: 0-5261513), United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. On 17 April 1969, Lieutenant Mills was serving as the pilot of an Armed light observation helicopter which was providing support for a mechanized unit conducting a sweep through a North Vietnamese Army base camp. While flying over the area in his ship, he observed several enemy soldiers preparing an ambush and marked their position with a red smoke grenade for gunships. After the assault helicopter had placed suppressive fire on the insurgents, Lieutenant Mills made a second low level pass over the location and received intense small arms barrages. Ignoring the hail of hostile rounds, the aggressor emplacements were marked and one North Vietnamese soldier was killed by the doorgunner’s fire. Throughout the remainder of the engagement, Lieutenant Mills placed devastating minigun barrages on the enemy and designated insurgent fortifications. His professionalism and courage significantly contributed to the successful outcome of the encounter. First Lieutenant Mills actions are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.

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 First Lieutenant (Armor) Hugh Louis Mills, Jr. (ASN: 0-5261513), United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. On 11 August 1969, Lieutenant Mills was serving as a pilot of a light observation helicopter on a hunter-killer mission providing fire support for a friendly force heavily engaged with an undetermined size insurgent unit. Flying over the embattled region, Lieutenant Mills immediately maneuvered his aircraft into several perilously low level firing passes upon the aggressor emplacements which enabled the beleaguered unit to begin a tactical retreat. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Lieutenant Mills remained over the enemy stronghold as he drew the hostile fire away from his retreating comrades. Directing the insertion of reinforcements, Lieutenant Mills successfully coordinated the rendezvous of the relief element and the embattled troops. After all the ground units were extracted, he continued to ignore the hostile fusillade directed at his ship and effectively engaged the insurgents. His courageous initiative and intrepid determination significantly contributed to the successful outcome of the engagement. First Lieutenant Mills’ actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Third Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Fourth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to First Lieutenant (Armor) Hugh Louis Mills, Jr. (ASN: 0-5261513), United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. On 2 October 1969, Lieutenant Mills was serving as a pilot of a light observation helicopter flying in support of friendly elements heavily engaged with an undetermined size insurgent unit approximately six miles southeast of Dau Tieng. Arriving over the embattled region, Lieutenant Mills immediately maneuvered his aircraft into perilously low level reconnaissance passes to assess the tactical situation. Continuing to brave the intense enemy fire, Lieutenant Mills engaged the aggressor with devastating machine gunfire and simultaneously marked the insurgent strongholds with smoke grenades for the supporting gunships. His courageous initiative and exemplary professionalism significantly contributed to the successful outcome of the engagement. First Lieutenant Mills’ actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.

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 First Lieutenant (Armor) Hugh Louis Mills, Jr. (ASN: 0-5261513), United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. On 26 April 1969, Lieutenant Mills was serving as pilot of a helicopter gunship and team leader of a hunter-killer team on an aerial insertion mission of a friendly infantry unit. Immediately after the insertion of the ground elements, Lieutenant Mills’ ship was suddenly subjected to intense automatic weapons and small arms fire from an undetermined size aggressor unit. Ignoring the hostile fusillade, Lieutenant Mills made several perilously low level passes as he pinpointed the insurgent emplacements and relayed the tactical situation to the commander of ground forces. Continuing to disregard his personal safety, he provided close fire support for the friendly element’s successful attempts to recover two seriously wounded comrades lying in an enemy firing lane. Throughout the long and arduous engagement, Lieutenant Mills made continuous low level strafing and reconnaissance passes over the aggressor positions until the insurgent unit was defeated. His exemplary professionalism and selfless concern for the welfare of his comrades significantly contributed to the successful outcome of the encounter and were instrumental in saving several friendly lives. First Lieutenant Mills’ actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army.