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The following was contributed by Clark Robinson and supplemented from the DFC Society web page. For more information, please contact Clark or the DFC Society at 1-866-332-6332.

The Distinguished Flying Cross was authorized by an Act of Congress on July 2, 1926 (amended by Executive order 7786 on January 8, 1938) & was first awarded to Captain Charles A. Lindberg of the U.S. Army Corps Reserve for his solo flight of 3,600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, a feat which electrified the world and made "Lindy" one of America's most famous popular heros. The first DFC awarded to a Navy man was to Commander Richard E. Byrd on the Navy Air Corps for his exciting flight to and from the North Pole. Both of these famous aviators also received the medal of Honor. The aviatrix, Amelia Earhart, also received the DFC. Hers was the only such award to a civilian. An executive order in March 1927 ruled that the Distinguished Flying Cross should not be conferred on civilians.

During wartime, members of the armed forces of friendly foreign nations serving with the United States are eligible for the DFC. It is also given to those who display extraordinary achievement in aerial flight.

The medal, which is identical for all branches of the service, is a bronze cross pattee. On the obverse is a four-bladed propeller, one blade in each arm of the cross, and in the re-entrant angles of the cross are rays which form a square. The reverse of the medal is a plain shield for the recipient's name. The cross is suspended from a ribbon having a red center stripe, flanked on either side by a narrow white stripe, a wide blue stripe, and then a white stripe with blue at the edges. Subsequent awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross are indicated by the oak leaf cluster for Army and Air Force personnel and by additional award stars for all other services.

Most of the citations read: "The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to . . . .". After listing the name, rank and branch of service, the next line usually starts with the words: "For heroism and/or extraordinary achievement in aerial flight."

All members of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society have been awarded the cross, several more than once. This organization will continue to salute all recipients and will maintain a record to attest to their actions.

Application forms and Society background information are available from the DFC Society at 1-866-332-6332 or http://www.dfcsociety.org

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation, perpetuation and publication of the history and traditions of men and women who served in all Military Services worldwide and who have been awarded The Distinguished Flying Cross as a result of deeds accomplished. The Society received its nonprofit status from the California Secretary of State and Internal Revenue Service in June 1994.

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