Awards and Recommendations for the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC),
As Known

According to Annual Unit History files obtained from the National Archives, there were 90 awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross to members of the 220th Aviation Company — during the period July 1965 through December 1971. We found that the noting of the DFC award in the 220th Aviation Company Unit History files is varied as Awarded, Recommended, Received, Presented or Earned—as extracted from the Unit History Files. The listing below is what we currently know "for sure" as of 10/06/11 (we count over 70 possible awards, plus a few others which we have learned about that were not noted in the Unit History Files). We can use the help of anyone who has copies of his or other´s orders or citations that might be shared to make this special noting or our DFC awards among our 220th Catkillers. You can view actual general orders and/or citation, if the award is highlighted in blue.

Unit History Records:

18 Nov 1965 William D. Welch Awarded Action near Hup Duc
20 Nov 1965 David K. Rogers Recommended Action near Hue
3 Jan 1966 William E. Everett Recommended Action near QuangNgai
3 Jan 1966 Charles R. Welsh Recommended Action near QuangNgai
5 Jan 1966 Charles L. "Woody" Woodhurst Recommended Action in Nam Hoa Valley near Hue
22 Jan 1966 Thomas E. Batten Recommended Action near Quang Ngai
14 Feb 1966 Arnold J. Roebuck Recommended Action near Quang Ngai
22 Deb 1966 Benjamin C. Hartman Recommended Action at Binh Long Bridge near Da Nang
23 Feb 1966 Charles R. Welsh Recommended Action at My Hung near Quang Ngai(2nd Award) Was apparently down-graded to an Air Medal w/"V" device
26 Feb 1966 Melvin L. Davis Recommended Action at Ba Long Valley near Hue
27 Feb 1966 Charles L. Woodhurst Recommended Action near Hue (2nd Award)
9 March 1966 Ira W. Misenheimer Recommended Action at A Shau
10 March 1966 Thomas E. Murray Recommended Action at A Shau
11 March 1966 David K. Rogers Recommended Action at A Shau (2nd Award)
11 March 1966 Charles L. Woodhurst Recommended Action at A Shau (3rd Award). Believed to have been upgraded to the Silver Star.
11 March 1966 Donald L. Johnson Recommended Action at A Shau rec'd 21 Aug 1966
11 March 1966 James M. Morris Recommended Action at A Shau
11 March 1966 Ira W. Misenheimer Recommended Action at A Shau (Not noted as a 2nd Award)
12 March 1966 Robert H. Teer Recommended Action at A Shau
20 March 1966 James A. Harris Recommended Action at La Van near Hue
21 March 1966 Ulysses Harrison Recommended Action near Quang Ngai
27 March 1966 William J. Amberger Recommended Action at Thanh Hoi near Hue
27 March 1966 James A. Harris Recommended Action at Thanh Hoi near Hue (2nd Award)
12 May 1966 Thomas E. Murray Recommended Action at Giao Thuy near Hue (2nd Award)
13 June 1966 Donald L. Johnson Recommended Action near Da Nang (2nd Award)
13 Jun 66 Donnell L. Medley Awarded Action near Da Nang ((Not in unit history files)
19 Sep 1966 David K. Rogers Recommended Action at A Shau(Recommended for Distinguished Service Cross at the Battle of A Shau—No record—May have been a “make up” award) [3rd Award?]
16 Dec 1966 Richard W. Johnson Awarded Action in DMZ area on 28 Aug 1966 (Operation Hastings or Prarie I?)
23 Aug 1967 Richard DeMarchie Awarded Action near Da Nang on 9 April 1967
27 Sept 1967 Lloyd H. Morgan Awarded Action near Phu Bai on 27 Sept 67 – WIA (Not noted in unit history files)
3 Oct 1967 Charles L. (Larry) Deibert Awarded Orders dated 6 Aug 1967: Action near Quang Ngai on 24 April 1967 (In Oct, Larry was assigned to the 4th Plat at Dong Ha)
3 Oct 1967 Louis F. Keeven Awarded Action near Tam Ky on (?) [In Oct, Louis was with the 4th Plat at Dong Ha]
19 Oct 1967 Larry (Bob) Freck Received Action in DMZ on 10 July 1967
26 Oct 1967 Charles L. (Larry) Deibert Awarded (Awarded 21 Feb 68) Action near Con Thien (Not in unit history files)
18 Dec 1967 John Holihan Received Action in DMZ on 2 July 1967
30 Dec 1967 Richard W. Johnson Received Action in DMZ on 6 July 1967 (2nd Award)
14 Feb 1968 John H. Billings Presented Action in Battle of Hue
Feb 1968 Hardy Z. (Zach) Bogue Awarded Action in DMZ (Not in unit history files)
31 March 68 Gary H. O´Shields Awarded Action in Battle of Hue on 14 Feb 1968
10 June 1968 Michael Sharkey Awarded Action in DMZ
12 June 1968 David Ohare Awarded Action in DMZ on 6 Sep 1967 (Not in unit history files
July 1968 Gary H. O´Shields Awarded Action in May 1968 (2nd Award; not in unit history files)
8 Aug 1968 Robert (Bob) Cortner Awarded Unknown
14 Sep 1968 Raymond G. Caryl Awarded Action near DMZ on 10 May 68 (Not in unit history files)
9 Oct 1968 John Herring Awarded Action in Operation Somerset Plain in A Shau Valley on 8 Aug 1968
4 Nov 1968 Robert J. (Bob) LaFerriere Awarded Action in Operation Somerset Plain in A Shau Valley on 8 Aug 1968
15 Nov 1968 Edgar D. (Doc) Clement Awarded Action near the DMZ on 16 Aug 1968 (Not in unit history files)
11 Feb 1969 Sargeant B. Means Received Action in Operation Dewey Canyon
12 Feb 1969 William C. Hooper Awarded Action near FSB Cunningham
12 Feb 1969 Keith B. Klent Earned Spoiled an ambush
16 May 1969 Charles W. (Bud) Bruton, Jr. Awarded Action North of the DMZ during 3—7 July 1968 in Operation Thor (Not in unit history files)
16 May 1969 Edgar D. (Doc) Clement Awarded Action North of the DMZ during 3—7 July 1968 in Operation Thor (2nd Award) (Not in unit history files)
16 May 1969 John W. Herring Awarded Action North of the DMZ during 3—7 July 1968 in Operation Thor (2nd Award) (Not in unit history files)
5 June 1969 Leonard W. Bumgardner Awarded Destroyed two 122mm rocket sites
5 June 1969 Sargeant B. Means Received Destroyed a 122mm rocket site
5 June 1969 Donald S. Pepe Awarded Unknown
12 Nov 1969 Robert C. Arrington Recommended (Awarded 13 Mar 70) Action near Con Thien
17 Feb 1970 Charles R. Dudek Earned Unknown
20 Feb 1970 Scott R. Burke Earned Unknown
22 Feb 1970 Glenn D. Stewart Awarded Action near Quang Tri (Awarded on 4 May 1970) Not in unit history files.
25 Feb 1970 John S. Hillman Earned Unknown. 2nd Award—No noting of 1st Award (Has 3 Awards)
25 Feb 1970 Glenn D. Stewart Awarded Action in western DMZ (2nd Award on 21 July 1970). Not in unit history file.
25 Feb 1970 Claude N. (Pete) Blevins Awarded Action in western DMZ
13 March 1970 Robert C. Arrington Awarded Action near Con Thien on 12 Nov 1969 (Not in unit history files)
25 May 1970 Charles R. Dudek Earned Unknown. 2nd Award
26 June 1970 Larrie J. Landersheim Awarded Posthumous—None-crewmember loss near Khe Sanh
18 July 1970 Robert McComiskie Earned Unknown
20 Aug 1970 Lee R. Peters Awarded Posthumous
31 Jan 1971 Charles R. Dudek Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970. 3rd Award.
31 Jan 1971 Robert McComiskie Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970, 2nd Award
31 Jan 1971 Thomas J. Harvey Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
31 Jan 1971 Thomas E. Clark Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
31 Jan 1971 Richard J. Thorstad Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
31 Jan 1971 Daryl V. Wesley Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
31 Jan 1971 Alfred L. Paulsen Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
31 Jan 1971 Louis B. Trevathan Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
31 Jan 1971 Wade H. Godfrey Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
31 Jan 1971 Gerald A. DiGrezio Awarded; Citation Action at FSB Ripcord during 11—23 July 1970
13 Feb 1971 Richard Wright Earned Unknown; possibly landed a badly damaged acft at Khe Sanh
20 March 1971 Paul Smith Earned Unknown; 2nd Award—no noting of 1st Award
22 March 1971 James Gaunt Earned Unknown
4 June 1971 Jack Zody Earned Unknown

Awards of DFC as noted from other sources:

1966 Charles Welsh 1 Award is noted in 2010 USMA Register of Graduates: Appears to be one of the two recommended. The "other" appears to have been down-graded to an Air Medal w/"V"
13 Jun 66 Donnell L. Medley Awarded by the Secretary of the Navy, Paul H. Nitze (Signed), For the President, with Citation (Not in unit history files)
1967 Thomas Murray 3 Awards are noted in 2010 USMA Register of Graduates: Appears that all three recommended were awarded
1967 George Woods 1 Award is noted in 2010 USMA Register of Graduates: Per phone conversation the award was for the night evacuation of the 4th Platoon at Doing Ha (awarded after his departure). Not noted in unit history files
27 Sep 1967 Lloyd Morgan Learned that he was awarded the DFC for the mission that he was on when he was wounded (email to Don Ricks). Not noted in unit history files
26 Oct 1967 Larry Deibert Action near Con Thien: From Larry during a telephone conversation on 09/27/11 with a copy of orders via email. Not noted in the unit history files
Feb 1968 Hardy (Zach) Bogue Copy of DD Form 214 provided by Zach (Not in unit history files)
July 1968 Gary H. O´Shields Action in May 1968 – From News Article and Photo and Entry in Paragraph 21, Awards and Decorations, Officer Personnel File (Not noted in the unit history files)
Jul & Aug 1968 Edgar D. (Doc) Clement Orders for 1st and 2nd Awards and copy of DD Form 214 provided by Doc (Not in the unit history files)
14 Sep 1968 Raymond G. Caryl Action near DMZ on 10 May 1968 (Not in the unit history files)
16 May 1969 Charles W. (Bud) Bruton, Jr. Action North of DMZ in Operation Thor during 3-7 Jul 68 (Not noted in the unit history files) (Copy of orders provided by Bud)
16 May 69 John W. Herring Action North of DMZ in Operation Thor during 3-7 Jul 68 (Not noted in the unit history files) (Copy of orders provided by John)
1969 Roger Bounds Photograph of the presentation of the award in MAJ Ed Miler’s booklet. Not noted in any unit history. (This award is also probably for Operation Thor – that is MG Burdette, CG 1st Aviation Brigade, doing the pinning in the photo.)
1969 Donald S. Pepe Photograph of Bill Norton (AO), Len Bumgardner, Don Pepe and Sarge Means – All wearing DFCs – Obviously after a presentation of the awards – Possibly also for Operation Thor (Photo in Archived CATCOM files)
1970 Glenn Stewart Copies of both awards and citations from Glenn. Neither were noted in the unit history Files
1970 Claude N. (Pete) Blevins Same action as Glenn Stewart. Not noted on unit history files
NOTE: We would like to believe that we can assume that any notation of an award that was Awarded, Presented or Received has been "completed". However, we hope to be able to locate some additional information for Earned and Recommended awards. We feel sure that some Earned and Recommended awards were sadly "lost in the paper shuffle" or were Presented, Received or otherwise Awarded at a later date after pilots departed the 220th. We can use the help of any pilot who has a copy of orders and/or a citation for an award which he might be willing to share with us for this page.

There are obviously some missing awards, since we also undoubtedly have a number of awards to our pilots who were either awarded, recommended for, earned, presented or received the DFC (or DFCs) that were never noted in the unit history Files. We would like to give credit where it is due for this prestigious flying award to any aviator or crew member—and more especially so to any of our own Catkillers. We also have the noting of several Air Medals w/"V" and the Army Commendation Medal w/"V" device, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry as well, for heroism by our 220th aviators.

Thank you to those who provided information for the update of this DFC page. Hopefully, we will receive more documentation such as this for our unit history.

COMPILER: Gene Wilson