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 First Lieutenant (Infantry) Arthur R. Van Horne, United States Army, for heroism while flying in support of Operation Darien in the jungles of Panama on 22 September 1956. The ground force of the operation was isolated deep in un-chartered jungle terrain and in grave peril due to breakdown in communications and rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. On 22 September, during the height of the tropical rainy season, a fog blanket along the ground combined with rapidly forming cloud banks and thunderheads, shrouded the operational area. During the late morning hours, Lieutenant Van Horne, flying an emergency mission with in a H-13 Helicopter, resolved to make the attempt to gain the small helicopter site that had been constructed on top of a narrow ridgeline flanking the east side of the Jicotea River Canyon. With visibility reduced to almost nothing and the helicopter site completely covered with clouds, Lieutenant Van Horne maneuvered his H-13 at treetop level well below the elevation of the sheer cliffs and critical terrain features that surrounded him on all sides and moved into a narrow canyon of the River Jicotea, searching for familiar landmarks to guide him to this objective. With only a few hundred yards of maneuvering space in any direction and only fleeting glimpses of the cliffs, hill masses, and high trees around him, he slowly orbited his H-13 toward the helicopter site. By taking advantage of every small break in the nearly impenetrable wall of fog and clouds, he was finally able to bring his helicopter into a position from which he could hear a sound flash explosion from Very Pistol fired by the ground force. He landed on the site at a time when visibility was so poor that no nearby terrain features could be distinguished, bringing in the supplies and equipment that were so desperately needed by the ground force. The action of Lieutenant Van Horne under extremely hazardous conditions demonstrated unusual courage and is a credit to both himself and the military service.