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 Warrant Officer One (WO-1) Michael J. Knapp (ASN: 2-3156243), United States Army, for heroism while participating in aerial flight, as evidenced by voluntary actions above and beyond the call of duty in the Republic of Vietnam. Warrant Officer Knapp distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions during the early morning hours of 8 November 1967, while serving as an Aircraft Commander with the Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in the air over a Vietnamese Forces compound at Xa Duy Can, 7 miles northwest of Tanh Dinh, Vietnam. Upon hearing that the compound was in the process of being overrun by a large Viet Cong Force, Warrant Officer Knapp volunteered to fly his aircraft to the scene in support of the friendly forces, in spite of poor visibility due to thick ground fog and intermittent cloud layers, and a complete lack of tactical maps for the area. Flying by instrumentations and radio contact alone, Warrant Officer Knapp located the compound and came under automatic weapons and small arms fire. With the position of the compound market by a flare and the firefight marked by tracer rounds, Warrant Officer Knapp began a series of firing passes, launching rockets directly into the Viet Cong positions until all his ammunition was expended. Due to his courageous flight and highly accurate fire, the enemy was completely routed, leaving 20 bodies behind. Warrant Officer Knapp’s outstanding ability and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.