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

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander Terry B. Kraft for heroism while participating in aerial flight as a Bombardier/Navigator of an A-6 aircraft while serving with Attack Squadron 115 embarked in USS Midway (CV 41) on 19 January 1991. Following his return from intensely opposed, low-altitude strike only fourteen hours prior, Lieutenant Commander Kraft led twenty air wing aircraft in a strike against a major Iraqi airfield on the second night of Operation Desert Storm. Facing multiple, layered missile defenses and relentless anti-aircraft fire, he called for maneuvers to defeat two of the many surface-to-air missiles fired at his strike group within moments of the final target run. With minimum time and under intense pressure, Lieutenant Commander Kraft prosecuted an extremely complex radar target to inflict heavy damage on an aircraft repair facility. Despite intensified enemy fire, he safely returned his entire strike group to the ship. Lieutenant Commander Kraft's extraordinary valor in the face of tremendous personal danger resulted in a significant reduction in the war fighting capability of the targeted base. By his brilliant leadership, superb airmanship, and courageous devotion to duty, Lieutenant Commander Kraft reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.