WWII Pilot Presented Distinguished Flying Cross After 68 Years
by By Senior Master Sgt. Elizabeth Gilbert and Staff Sgt. Phil Fountain
136th Airlift Wing Public Affairs/Texas Military Forces Public Affairs
10/17/2013 - NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas (Sept. 19, 2013) — A World War II veteran was presented the Distinguished Flying Cross during a ceremony here at the 136th Airlift Wing, Texas Air National Guard, Sept. 19, 2013.
Thomas P. Faulkner of Dallas was presented the award for his actions while serving as a first lieutenant and bomber pilot with the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 15th Air Force, in Italy. Faulkner, 88, earned the award when he was 19, but he was never presented the medal or told of his receiving the award.
“The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was authorized by an Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, and amended by Executive Order 778-6, on Jan. 8, 1938,” said Lt. Col. James Castleman, the wing’s executive officer. “It was first awarded to Capt. Charles A. Lindbergh, U.S. Army (Air) Corps Reserve, for his solo flight of 3,600 miles across the Atlantic in 1927.”
Additionally, the DFC is awarded to service members who distinguish themselves in combat for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight,” Castleman said.
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