AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  Desert Storm
MODEL:  A-6E

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Commander Lewis W. Crenshaw, Jr., for heroism while participating in aerial flight while participating in aerial flight as a Naval Flight Officer of an A-6E aircraft while serving with Attack Squadron 85 embarked in USS AMERICA (CV 66) on 25 January 1991. Commander Crenshaw launched, as the lead of a 600-mile night-coordinated attack against the artillery production facility near Habbaniyah, Iraq. The strike aircraft encountered intense anti-aircraft artillery fire during the entire 45-minute flight over enemy territory. Entering overlapping surface-to-air missile envelopes, Commander Crenshaw successfully led his strike group through five separate missile engagements and continued prosecution of the target through a broken overcast. Defeating radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery shells exploding in the formation, his precision radar attack culminated in direct hits on the storage facility. The attack, confirmed by Forward Looking Infrared video tape and national assets, destroyed the plant's artillery production capability and severely damaged the enemy's ability and will to sustain war. Commander Crenshaw's aggressive leadership, superb airmanship, and courageous devotion to duty in the face of hazardous flying conditions reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.