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 Lieutenant Colonel (Air Corps) Donald James Matthew Blakeslee (ASN: 0-885264), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight while serving as a P-51 Mustang Fighter Pilot with the 4th Fighter Group, EIGHTH Air Force in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Lieutenant Colonel Blakeslee has accomplished fifty fighter combat missions, or the equivalent thereof, over enemy occupied Continental Europe. The skillful and zealous manner in which he has sought out the enemy and destroyed him, his devotion to duty and courage under all conditions serve as an inspiration to his fellow flyers. His actions on all these occasions reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.