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

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant Colonel William G. Thomas for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as an F-4D ac near Pleiku, Republic of Vietnam on 27 March 1970. On that date, Colonel Thomas led a flight of two Phantoms scrambled from alert to attack a large force of hostile troops which had been caught in the open. Despite the hazards of mountainous terrain, reduced visibility due to haze, and intense small arms fire, Colonel Thomas' flight was credited with six structures destroyed, fifteen bunkers destroyed, and sixteen hostile troops killed by air. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Colonel Thomas reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.