The
Distinguished Flying Cross
Awarded for
Heroism or Extraordinary Achievement
in Aerial Flight
News and reunion updates
Coming in November,
a feature length film about World War II B-24 pilot and DFC recipient Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart.
Honoring the 81st Anniversary of the End of World War II
September 2nd is the 81st anniversary of the end of World War II. The DFCS remembers and honors the courage, sacrifice, and extraordinary achievements of the aviators who helped secure victory—and ensures their stories are never forgotten.
1st Lieutenant Aleda Lutz, Army Air Corps
Aleda Lutz served as a flight nurse aboard C-47 Medevac aircraft during WWII. In 196 missions, Lutz evacuated and treated some 3,500 casualties and was awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters for her service. On Nov. 1, 1944, Lutz flew on her last mission, evacuating wounded soldiers from the fighting in France, when her plane crashed in a storm. Lutz was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “outstanding proficiency and selfless devotion to duty.”
She is also believed to have been the first woman killed in action in WWII.
General James H. Doolittle - U.S.A.A.C. /U.S.A.F. (MOH)
Jimmy Doolittle received his initial DFC as a first lieutenant for a one-stop flight from Pablo Beach, Florida to San Diego, California between 4-5 September 1922. The flight took only twenty-two hours and thirty minutes. The citation stated that, “the flight was an extraordinary achievement with the equipment available at the time.” Lieutenant Doolittle received a second DFC for a series of acceleration tests in a Fokker PW 7 pursuit airplane in 1924 at McCook Field in Dayton, Ohio. The DFC citation commended Doolittle for putting, “…the airplane through the most extreme maneuvers possible in order that the flight loads imposed upon the wings of the airplane under extreme conditions of air combat might be ascertained.” However, it was his attack on Tokyo, the Doolittle Raid, that was his most prestigious accomplishment and for this historic mission, he received the Medal of Honor and each of his men received the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Lieutenant Junior Grade/President George H. W. Bush - U.S.N.
Lieutenant junior grade Bush was flying a TBF Avenger on 2 September 1944, while on a mission to attack Japanese installations on Chichi Jima. For that mission, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. His citation reads: “He led one section of a four-plane division which attacked a radio station. Opposed by intense anti-aircraft fire, his plane was hit and set afire as he commenced his dive. In spite of smoke and flames from the fire in his plane he continued in his dive and scored damaging bomb hits on the radio station, before bailing out of his plane. His courage and complete disregard for his own safety, both in pressing home his attack in the face of intense and accurate anti-aircraft fire, and in continuing in his dive on the target after being hit and his plane on fire, were at all times in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
LT Roberta Schilbach Ross
We think of heroes like we see them in the movies. They set their jaws and square their shoulders, and the bad guys never stand a chance. That’s not real. A hero like Bobsie was up to her ankles in blood and up to her neck in chaos, offering comforting words to dying kids. Maybe she would lie and tell them that they were going to make it, just to give them a bit of peace as they lay prone on the floor of a loud, growling airframe, clawing its way over the mountains while the enemy and nature itself bet against them. She went through hell, not to kill the bad guys but to heal the good ones.
Member Spotlight
British Royal Air Force pilot, Air Commodore Alistair Monkman awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
AIR CDRE ALISTAIR MONKMAN CBE MA RAF (Ret’d) was born in May 1963 and educated at St Olave’s School, York; Ryde School, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth Grammar School. Winning an RAF flying scholarship, he gained his private pilots’ licence aged 17. He flew for 4 years with Cambridge University Air Squadron before joining the Royal Air Force as a Tornado pilot in 1985. During 27 years of service with the RAF, Alistair served all over the world and flew over 500 hours of combat operations over Iraq, Serbia and Afghanistan. Between 1998-2000 he flew the F-117 Stealth Fighter on an Exchange tour with the United States Air Force and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal for gallantry. He was awarded the Legion of Merit by the USA in recognition of his service in Afghanistan as the Director of Air Operations for NATO throughout 2010.
DFCS hosting inaugural evening event
at
River Rats Reunion in Dallas
The DFCS will host a buffet dinner with a guest speaker on Thursday October 15th to introduce the Distinguished Flying Cross Society to the River Rats. USAF Brigadier General Ron Rand (ret) will be the guest speaker.
Reunion Update - 22 March 2026
Registration for our 53rd Annual Real Reunion is now live, and available for your review. We listened to your feedback from last year's Reunion, and I wanted to call out a few details that I hope meet your approval:
THURSDAY - DFCS hosted buffet with guest speaker
FRIDAY'S FLIGHT SUIT PARTY - We listened to your feedback from last year, and are providing the option of registering with round-trip bus service or without. Also, the cost of the party includes self-serve beer and wine as opposed to waiting in lines at s cash bar.
TACTICS CONFERENCES - Instead of three back-to-back seminars, we will host one TC per day. This should improve attendance and make planning easier for attendees. If you're interested in presenting a TC this year, please send your proposal to me at irish@river-rats.org.
ONLINE REGISTRATION - We've created a stand-alone secure site to submit your online registrations. Initial feedback has been that this new site is much more user friendly than last year's. Our host platform is Zeffy, a system designed especially for nonprofits. While there is no cost for us to use Zeffy, the system does prompt users to make a voluntary donation at the end of the registration process.
For more information, please check the link below:
2027 DFC Society Reunion
The date for the 2027 Distinguished Flying Cross Society Reunion has been set for November 2–4, 2027, in Pensacola, Florida.
Members will also have the option to stay an additional night and attend the Navy Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on November 5.
More details, including the reunion schedule, hotel information, registration, and planned events, will be provided as times and arrangements are confirmed.
Mark your calendars—we look forward to seeing you in Pensacola!
MARINE FIGHTER FORAY 2026
The MARINE FIGHTER FORAY is on the flight schedule for October 14 – 18, 2026. The Foray will be at the same location as the 2022 Phantom Phoray: Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207
(https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/dfwrd-hyatt-regency-dallas)
And… the Foray is not just for air crew. We highly encourage any and all Marine enlisted, officer, maintenance, admin, support and family members of the Marine fighter community to attend. Also, if your squadron already holds squadron reunions, consider piggybacking off the Foray and have your reunion concurrent with the Foray in Dallas. Contact the Foray Ops O for details.
The Marine Fighter Foray schedule and venue will replicate the 2022 Phantom Phoray, only much larger since the Foray is being opened up to all Marine Fighter communities. There will be:
- Symposiums
- F-18 and F-35 status and combat deployment briefs to include Iran-Iraq and Afghanistan battle strategies and operations; and
of course… individual “There I was” stories/yarns/tales - Flight jacket / squadron shirts happy hours
- Squadron dinners and photos
- Marine Corps University Interviews
- Professional Group Displays (Martin Baker ejection seats, Lockheed Martin F-35, Top Gun, Distinguished Flying Cross Society)
- Golf tournament
Bell UH-1 Iroquois
Few military vehicles are as iconic of the Vietnam War as the Huey helicopter, officially the Bell UH-1 Iroquois. It was a manifest representation of the asymmetric nature of the war: it was the bird that could take American soldiers to almost any spot in the rough Vietnamese landscape, it could evacuate the wounded, and it could provide supporting fire; but for all that, the troops would eventually board their flight back to base, and the villages and the jungle would be taken back by the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army.
Books by DFCS Authors
Climb in the cockpit and join a Marine attack helicopter pilot in this authentic and compelling firsthand account of the opening days and nights of the Iraq War.Experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the Cobra, hanging on tight as you're hurled into the chaos of night combat operations. Step through an otherwise closed door and explore the emotions, physical danger, and successes that would shape a generation of aviators.
NEW RELEASE
Assigned as NATO Chief of Strategic Basing at ISAF Headquarters, Spargur found himself at the operational nerve center of America's longest war, working under a four-
star general and liaising with CIA operatives tracking high-value targets across the country. Every base closure he planned, every withdrawal timeline he adjusted, carried
consequences that rippled far beyond the conference room.
January Release by Award Winning Author and Speaker Martha LaGuardia-Kotite. Her first book, "So Others May Live", was written 20 years ago about the early days of the Coast Guard rescue swimmer program. The "Guardians" includes action filled accounts of today's Coast Guard rescue swimmers.
Special Offers
An Overdue Distinction for a Korean War Flying Ace
A new law allows Royce Williams, 100, to receive the medal of honor. Trump should follow up quickly.
On December 22, the Wall Street Journal published an article about retired Navy Captain Royce Willams who will soon receive the Medal of Honor:
"Buried in a recent 3,000-page defense policy bill is good news that won’t receive enough attention. The legislation would allow a living legend of naval aviation to receive the nation’s highest military honor. A Defense Department video called 100-year-old Royce Williams the “forgotten fighter ace of the Korean war.” His valor is worth remembering on its merits, and the history is instructive about the threats now facing the U.S. President Trump should move quickly to award Capt. Williams the medal of honor."
Task & Purpose published the following article that provides background about the actions leading to the final decision to award Captain Williams the Medal of Honor:
Published Dec 8, 2025 3:52 PM EST
Legendary Navy aviator Royce Williams, who shot down four Soviet MiG-15 fighters in 1952, is the inspiration for legislation that would make it easier for troops and veterans to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Photos via the U.S. Naval Institute and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
More than 70 years after he took part in the longest dogfight in Navy history, scoring four aerial victories, Royce Williams might finally get the Medal of Honor.
Over the weekend, Congress released the text for the compromise National Defense Authorization Act, the annual defense policy bill outlining spending plans and goals. This year, it is a record $901 billion. Nestled into the large defense appropriations bill is Sec. 591, which would upgrade Williams’ Navy Cross to the Medal of Honor for “acts of valor during the Korean War.”
Those acts involve taking on seven Soviet MiG-15s in a 35-minute dogfight almost singlehandedly, in a battle that was kept under wraps for years despite Williams’ achievements.
On Nov. 18, 1952, Williams — then a Navy lieutenant flying in his Grumman F9F-5 Panther for his second mission that day — was with three other aviators over the Sea of Japan when seven Soviet Air Force fighter planes emerged. Two of the American planes had to return to their ships due to mechanical issues, leaving just Williams and his wingman in the skies as the Soviets closed in. As they flew by, Williams let out a burst of his F9F’s guns, scoring a hit. One MiG went down, with Williams’ wingman breaking off to chase it. Royce Williams was now alone, against six Soviet pilots in jets that were more advanced than his.
Over the course of 35 minutes, Williams banked and weaved his Panther, trying to avoid getting in the MiGs’ sights. He quickly downed a second Soviet jet, and kept using his maneuverability to line up passing shots with his limited ammo. He took out a third. Then he heavily damaged another that was eventually lost.
“In the moment I was a fighter pilot doing my job,” Williams told Task & Purpose in 2022. “I was only shooting what I had.”
Eventually, he ran out of ammunition and was forced to break off. He flew back to the Navy task force — which fired on him at first, mistaking him for the many more Soviet planes that had outnumbered him — and managed to land. After-action inspections found 263 bullet holes in his Panther. Somehow, Williams and the plane survived.
For his actions in the wild dogfight that day, Williams was awarded a Silver Star. But his actions were covered up — and his official victories listed as downing one enemy plane and damaging another — over fears it could heighten U.S.-Soviet tensions. So for the rest of his career, which included actions in Vietnam and commanding a ship, his record stayed that way, the truth kept hidden. It was only in the 21st century that retired Capt. Williams’ story came out.
For more than a decade, there has been a push to get Williams the Medal of Honor, with backers including retired Rear Adm. Doniphan Shelton and members of Congress. Three years ago, in December 2022, then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro upgraded his Silver Star to a Navy Cross, saying that Williams “clearly distinguished himself during a high-risk mission and deserve[s] proper recognition.” Williams received the award in January 2023.
The text in this year’s defense spending bill would authorize awarding Williams, who is now 100, the Medal of Honor and waive any time limitations on presenting him with the award.
Voting on the bill is expected this month.
