The Distinguished Flying Cross Society is founded on fraternity and fellowship among military flyers - of all our armed services and of all ranks who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Our society's focus and our principal goal is to build the Society in two major ways: (1) To build our organization and its Chapters, so as to increase the Society's effectiveness in serving all our members and associates, and (2) To look outward as well, toward public service and education about the Distinguished Flying Cross and about aerospace in America. By pursuing this two-part strategic goal, the Society will grow. And, as importantly, the Society will become ever more effective in spreading its educational message - and awareness of the Society - ever more widely among American citizens.
VISION STATEMENT:
Our vision is to preserve and grow The Distinguished Flying Cross Society (DFCS) as America's champion of the one military medal awarded to aviators for heroism and/or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight. The Society is a unique organization in that it represents all five military services, all wars and campaigns from World War I forward, all ranks, all aviation crew positions, and both genders. The Society educates the general public and enhances public records by documenting, publishing, and presenting the history of the DFC medal and its recipients. DFCS fosters fellowship among its members and creates innovative plans for securing funding for future programs and growth. The Society takes great pride in aviation and space exploration, as an American and global treasure.
Unfortunately, the government did not keep a cumulative record of DFC recipients, therefore no one knows how many have been awarded or to whom. We do know that the first Distinguished Flying Cross award citations were presented to the Pan American Flight crew on 2 May, 1927 by President Coolidge, for their five ship, 22,000 mile flight.
President Coolidge presented the first Distinguished Flying Cross medal, on 11 June, 1927, to Captain Charles A. Lindbergh of the Army Corps Reserve for his solo flight of 3600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, a feat which electrified the world and "Lindy" one of America's most popular heroes. The first Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to a Navy man was to Commander Richard E. Byrd of 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, was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. At the time hers was the first such award to a civilian. An executive order in March 1927 ruled that the Distinguished Flying Cross should not be conferred on civilians.
