AWARDED DFC: 1
CONFLICT/SPACE FLIGHT/EVENT:  Vietnam
MODEL:  RF-4B

Citation:  1.) The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Captain David K. Werner, United States Marine Corps Reserve for heroism while participating in aerial flight with Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadron One, Marine Aircraft Group Eleven, First Marine Aircraft Wing in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. Late on the afternoon of 10 January 1970, Captain Werner launched as Reconnaissance Systems Officer aboard an RF-4 Phantom aircraft assigned a priority photographic mission to obtain urgently needed intelligence information on a suspected enemy storage and antiaircraft complex under construction west of the A Shau Valley. Arriving over the designated site, he found that the target area was located in a valley among ridges which rose to a height of five thousand feet and was obscured by a dense overcast. Despite the constant threat of hostile antiaircraft and automatic weapons fire, Captain Werner skillfully monitored his instruments and equipment, provided a continuous flow of vital information which enabled his aircraft to descent through the overcast, proceed through rain showers at a few hundred feet above the ground along winding valleys, and, upon activation of his equipment, obtain accurate photographs of the area. The severe weather conditions and mountainous terrain so restricted the positioning of his Phantom that a second pass was required to ensure full target coverage. By providing precise flight and navigational data, he assisted his pilot in descending through the overcast into a sector of the mountains west of the target area. Prior to reaching the target, his aircraft came under a heavy volume of hostile antiaircraft fire and was seriously damaged. Undaunted by the intensity of the enemy fire, Captain Werner aided his pilot in maneuvering through the hostile fire and then expertly photographed the target area. With but fifteen minutes of fuel remaining and approximately seventy-five miles from the DaNang Air Base, he calmly assisted his pilot in maneuvering the Phantom to conserve fuel as he navigated his aircraft to DaNang where a safe landing was made. His accurate photographs contributed to the success of subsequent air strikes in the heavily defended sector. Captain Werner's courage, superior professionalism, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of great personal danger were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.