LT William D. Young, USN
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting
The NAVY CROSS to
Lieutenant William D. Young, United States Navy
For service as set forth in the following
CITATION
For extraordinary heroism in action on the night of 6 August and early morning of 7 August 1972 while serving with Helicopter Combat Support Squadron SEVEN, Detachment 110, embarked on USS SARATOGA (CVA-60). As copilot of a combat search and rescue effort for a United States Navy Pilot downed in North Vietnam, Lieutenant Young, in the face of intense enemy fire, rendered valuable assistance in carrying out a low level flight with the helicopter’s landing lights turned on in order to facilitate the search. Although his aircraft was repeatedly hit by enemy ground fire, he continued the search until the downed pilot was visually located and picked up. Lieutenant Young then flew back to the safety of SARATOGA at treetop level with his crippled aircraft. By his outstanding airmanship, courage, and devotion to duty, he contributed materially to the success of an extremely hazardous mission and upheld the highest tradition of the United States Naval Service.
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