The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain George Eldon Throckmorton, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 18 December 1971. On that date, Captain Throckmorton flew as the leader of a flight which was supporting an attempt to recover an American crew downed near the hostile and heavily defended Mu Gia Pass in Laos. Assigned rescue helicopter escort responsibility Captain Throckmorton directed his flight and the helicopters in such a manner that none of the vulnerable slow-moving aircraft sustained any damage whatsoever even though the mission required flight into and extensive hovering in one of the most heavily defended hostile areas in Southeast Asia. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Throckmorton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Silver Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Sixth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain George Eldon Throckmorton, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot on 5 June 1972. On that date, Captain Throckmorton flew as the on scene commander of search and rescue forces attempting to recover the American pilot of a light observation aircraft downed in mountainous hostile territory in South Vietnam. Despite particularly adverse weather conditions masking jagged mountain peaks and creating blind box canyons, Captain Throckmorton repeatedly made low passes over the survivor finally pinpointing his position enabling him to direct the rescue helicopter among the cloud layers for the successful rescue. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Throckmorton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain George Eldon Throckmorton, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 20 December 1971. On that date, Captain Throckmorton led a force of rescue helicopters deep into hostile territory to evacuate sixty wounded personnel that were in direct contact with opposing forces. Subjecting himself to intensive ground fire, he made repeated passes dropping extremely accurate ordnance to secure the area, escorted the helicopters to the landing zone, and then flew protective cover to insure the successful completion of the rescue mission. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Throckmorton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in addition to a previously awarded Silver Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Seventh Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to Captain George Eldon Throckmorton, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia from 1 May 1972 to 2 May 1972. During this period, Captain Throckmorton flew in support of a search and rescue operation attempting to recover American and allied personnel who were surrounded by a large force of advancing hostile troops. Despite the concentrations of anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles directed at his slow-moving aircraft, Captain Throckmorton continued a low level search pattern until forced to depart the area because of battle damage inflicted on his wingman. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Captain Throckmorton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Fourth Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Fifth Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain George Eldon Throckmorton, United States Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 1 May 1972. On that date, Captain Throckmorton led a rescue force of six A-1 Skyraiders and three helicopters into the highly contested and besieged city of Quang Tri, South Vietnam, in a desperate attempt to evacuate 120 Americans and allied personnel. Through his superior planning, coordination, and leadership the evacuation forces were able to successfully rescue the beleaguered personnel without sustaining loss of life for damage to aircraft. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Throckmorton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to Captain George Eldon Throckmorton, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as an A-1 Tactical Fighter Pilot in Southeast Asia on 11 December 1971. On that date, Captain Throckmorton flew as the wingman in a flight which was directing the rescue forces who were attempting to recover an American crew member downed near Mu Gia Pass in Laos. Despite the multitude of hostile defenses which were active throughout the mission and extremely adverse weather conditions Captain Throckmorton remained on scene for the limit of his aircraft’s endurance and aided immeasurably in executing a plan which ultimately resulted in a successful rescue. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Captain Throckmorton reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.