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) Richard F. McCoy (ASN: W-3155317), 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 McCoy distinguished himself exceptionally valorous actions during the early morning hours of 8 November 1967, while serving as a helicopter pilot with the Air Cavalry Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in the air over a Vietnamese Popular Forces compound at Xa Duy Can, 7 miles northwest of Tanh Linh, Vietnam. Upon hearing that the compound was in the process of being overrun by a large Viet Cong force, Warrant Officer McCoy 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 of the area. Flying by instrumentation and radio alone, Warrant Officer McCoy located the compound and came under automatic weapons and small arms fire. With the position of the compound marked by a flare and the firefight marked by tracer rounds, Warrant Officer McCoy 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 McCoy’s outstanding flying 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.