The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander Jack Irving Bandy (NSN: 0-71340), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. For seven months ending 1 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander Bandy has served as Commanding Officer, Fighting Squadron TWENTY-EIGHT (VF-28) and latterly as Commander, Air Group TWENTY-EIGHT (AG-28) under this command. During that period he has proven himself an audacious and aggressive leader, a skilled and resourceful tactician, and an heroic inspiration to the pilots of his squadron. Repeatedly while engaged in escort missions from this ship, while on combat air patrol over Rendova, the Russells and Guadalcanal during two tours of duty in the Solomon Area, while leading fighter escorts for our bombers on hazardous missions to Munda, Bakeroko and Kahili, and in the face of aircraft fire, his gallant example, his calm and tenacious devotion to duty have been of the highest order. On 22 July he organized and led elements of three squadrons as fighter escort for our TBFs and SBCs on a strike against enemy shipping of Jakohina and Kahili. When the formation approached the Shortlands, it was intercepted and heavily engaged by thirty Japanese Zeros. With gallant disregard for the superior enemy odds and his own personal safety, Lieutenant Commander Bandy led his fighters in a counter-attack which utterly demolished and frustrated the enemy’s interception, so that our bombers made their successful attacks on the Japanese ships without molestation and in safety, and without a single combat casualty to the fighters. This heroic and inspiring achievement he led, despite previous orders grounding him for important operations only.