AWARDED DFC: 2
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  Vietnam
MODEL:  B-52

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Dean R. Vetter for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a B-52 Navigator near Hanoi, North Vietnam, on 19 December 1972. On that date, Captain Vetter participated in one of the most massive, conventional bombing raids ever amassed in the history of aerial warfare. While attacking the target, Captain Vetter's aircraft came under heavy and intense fire from surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. As a result of his heroic actions and professional skill, the assigned target was attacked, destroyed, and his aircraft and crew returned safely in spite of the devastating air defense directed against them. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Vetter reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

2.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain Dean R. Vetter for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a B-52 Radar Navigator north of the Demilitarized Zone in North Vietnam on 8 January 1973. On that date, Captain Vetter's crew was tasked with leading a cell of B-52's against a heavily defended North Vietnamese logistic storage and troop staging area. Despite numerous thunder storms throughout the target area and the threat of hostile anti-aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missiles, Captain Vetter conducted the bombing run in a precise and professional manner, resulting in an effective weapon release on the target. The professional competence, aerial skill, and devotion to duty displayed by Captain Vetter reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.