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 Captain (Air Corps) Albert W. Stevens, U.S. Army Air Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight. Capitan Stevens was scientific observer of the National Geographic Society Army Air Corps Stratosphere Balloon Flight, which took off from the vicinity of Rapid City, South Dakota, on 28 July 1934 and landed near Loomis, Nebraska, that same date. He assisted in piloting the balloon into the stratosphere to an altitude of 60,613 feet, and in making continuous scientific observations en route, and when the balloon became disabled through circumstances beyond human control, did attempt, under most adverse and hazardous conditions to land successfully the disabled aircraft in order to preserve the scientific records that had been obtained. By the exercise of cool judgment and foresight under these conditions, certain scientific records were saved and the disabled aircraft was abandoned only when it was clearly evident that not to do so would prove disastrous to human life.