AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  Vietnam
MODEL:  RF-8A

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Commander Joseph A. Muka, Jr., for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight on 19 August and 22 August 1965 as Officer in Charge, Light Photographic Squadron Sixty-three, Detachment Delta, embarked in USS Coral Sea (CVA-43). Assigned the task of searching for suspected surface-to-air missile sites in the Hanoi-Plu Ly complex and the Hanoi-Haiphong complex, Lieutenant Commander Muka flew unarmed and unescorted with consummate skill and courage. The assigned search areas were saturated with intensive anti-aircraft artillery installations, bordered on and fell within the kill envelopes of several known surface-to-air missile sites and were in close proximity to enemy fighter bases. Maneuvering his aircraft at low altitude throughout his search areas, Lieutenant Commander Muka exposed himself to heavy ground fire and the missile threat for over forty minutes. The photographic results of these flights yielded vital intelligence information. Lieutenant Commander Muka's courageous and selfless action was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.