Lieutenant
LEONARD ERNEST WALDROP
U.S. Naval Reserve
Pilot
Composite Squadron VC-65
NAVY CROSS
THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
Washington
The President of the United States takes pride in
Presenting the NAVY CROSS to
LEONARD ERNEST WALDROP, LIEUTENANT
UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE
for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:
"For extraordinary heroism as Pilot of Torpedo Bomber in Composite Squadron Sixty-Five, attached to the U.S.S. St. Lo in action against enemy Japanese forces during the Battle for Leyte Gulf, October 25, 1944. Flying in the face of intense antiaircraft fire which seriously damaged his plane, Lieutenant (then Lieutenant, Junior Grade,) Waldrop pressed home six attacks on an enemy cruiser without the support of other aircraft. His courage and devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon Lieutenant Waldrop and the United States Naval Service."
For the President,
/s/ James Forrestal
Secretary of the Navy