AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  -
MODEL:  -

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Airman Second Class David E. Lehtonen for extraordinary achievement and outstanding airmanship while participating in aerial flight on 6 March 1953, as radio operator of an unarmed, unescorted RB-26 type aircraft of the 6166 th Air Weather Reconnaissance Flight, Fifth Air Force, during a daylight weather reconnaissance mission deep in enemy-held North Korea. Despite undergoing intense and accurate enemy radar-controlled heavy anti-aircraft weapons fire over the heavily fortified enemy cite of Sinmak, Airman Lehtonen aided in the direction of successful evasive action for the enemy fire and transmitted all weather data obtained along the briefed route to the Joint Operations Control Center. The weather observations provided Fifth Air Force by this mission proved of utmost value to Fifth Air Force for the planning and execution of effective air strikes against enemy targets. By his high personal courage and devotion to duty, Airman Lehtonen has brought great credit upon and the United States Air Force.