George E. Stratemeyer

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to George E. Stratemeyer, Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving as Commanding General, Far East Air Forces, in action against enemy forces in the Republic of Korea from 14 July to 28 September 1950. During the early days of the conflict, General Stratemeyer personally performed aerial reconnaissance of advanced airfields which were under attack by enemy aircraft and under fire by ground weapons, enabling him to plan immediately the most effective utilization of his combat air forces in the initial defensive phase. He directed the evacuation by air of American citizens from those advanced fields, continually subjecting himself to great danger. Subsequent flights were made in unarmed and unescorted aircraft to forward airstrips to appraise the situation during the gradual, forced withdrawal of our troops. Personally, and at the risk of his life, in order to direct comprehensively the efforts of the Far East Air Forces in close support of the Eighth Army in Korea, he pressed forward on the ground by vehicle and on foot to the outermost advanced positions. The firsthand knowledge gained by General Stratemeyer from these reconnaissance missions was invaluable to him in planning the coordination of air support with ground combat activity, and contributed largely in enabling the ground troops to wrest the initiative from the enemy and assume the offensive in driving the invading enemy from the area of south of the 38th Parallel.
General Headquarters Far East Command: General Orders No. 46 (October 22, 1950)