CAPTAIN PAUL F. STEVENS, (then a Lieutenant) received the Navy Cross for his extraordinary heroism as pilot of a plane in action against enemy Japanese forces in the vicinity of Mindoro, Philippine Islands, December 26, 1944. Sighting a large enemy Task Force which was enroute to attack our newly-established base at Mindoro, Lieutenant Stevens accurately reported his contacta and alerted the base, with the result that defensive aircraft were dispatched to the scene and preparations were made to avert the destruction of the garrison and shipping. In addition to warning the base of approaching danger, he courageously pressed home an attack in the face of intense antiaircraft fire from the Naval batteries to score at lease two direct hits on a Yamato type battleship. His aggressive devotion to duty in detecting the convoy and tracking it for twenty-four hours was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Captain Stevens joined the Legion of Valor in 1970.