AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  Vietnam
MODEL:  A-4

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Charles Herbert Leaird, United States Marine Corps, for heroism and extraordinary achievement in aerial flight while serving as a Pilot with Marine Attack Squadron 223, Marine Aircraft Group Twelve, First Marine Aircraft Wing in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On the night of 6 September 1967, during Operation Swift, Captain Leaird launched as Wingman in a flight of two A-4 Skyhawk aircraft assigned an emergency mission to provide close air support for a Marine unit which was heavily engaged with an enemy force of an estimated 1,200 North Vietnamese Army Regulars thirty miles northwest of Chu Lai. After arriving over the designated area and being briefed on the friendly and enemy situation by the Tactical Air Controller (Airborne), Captain Leaird, although aware that previous flights had sustained battle damage from automatic weapons fire, unhesitatingly commenced his approach into the hazardous area. Skillfully utilizing his navigational equipment and ignoring the heavy volume of enemy ground fire, he repeatedly maneuvered his aircraft into the target area and aggressively attacked the hostile force. Using fires ignited by previous airstrikes as reference points to determine the location of his targets, he delivered his ordnance with unerring accuracy which resulted in a large secondary explosion in a suspected supply area. His resolute determination and exceptional airmanship were instrumental in inflicting heavy losses on the North Vietnamese and prevented them from overrunning the beleaguered Marine unit. Captain Leaird’s courage, superior aeronautical ability and unfaltering devotion to duty in the face of great personal danger contributed significantly to the accomplishment of his unit’s mission and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.