AWARDED DFC: 2
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  GWOT - Iraq
MODEL:  A-6E

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Commander Thomas J. Ross for heroism while participating in aerial flight as Pilot of an A-6E Intruder while attached to Attack Squadron 65, embarked in U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) steaming in the Arabian Gulf against Iraqi forces on 28 January 1991. Commander Ross led a fifteen aircraft night attack on the port and naval facility at Umm Qasr, Iraq. Leading his strike through the deadly enemy anti-aircraft defenses, he flawlessly executed a lethal attack. Without regard for his personal safety, he exposed himself to intense ground fire while delivering sixteen, five hundred-pound bombs with devastating accuracy. His attack inflicted substantial damage, destroying six warships and heavily damaged the port facilities. The elimination of these vital targets denied the enemy an important offensive capability and significantly reduced the threat to allied naval forces in the Arabian Gulf. By his airmanship, courage under fire, and steadfast devotion to duty, Commander Ross reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

2.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Commander Thomas J. Ross for heroism while participating in aerial flight as Pilot of an A-6E Intruder Aircraft while attached to Attack Squadron 65, embarked in U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) steaming in the Arabian Gulf against Iraqi forces on 11 February 1991. Commander Ross courageously led eleven aircraft in a devastating strike against units of the Iraqi Army in occupied Kuwait. Despite intense enemy fire and with surgical precision, Commander Ross destroyed a command post and communications facility with a laser-guided bomb. Quickly assessing the success of that attack, he directed the remainder of the strike against secondary targets. Without regard for his own safety, Commander Ross continued a relentless attack, striking artillery revetments and a military truck convoy with lethal accuracy, personally destroying several additional vehicles and guns, thereby disrupting the enemy’s defenses and supply lines. By his airmanship, courage under fire, and steadfast devotion to duty, Commander Ros reflect great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.