Citation for DSC: 

Lieutenant Nolan W. Klepinger is awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism in operation against an enemy Naval Task Force on 15 October 1944.  As bombardier on a lone B-24 type aircraft on a sea sweep along the China Coast when the enemy Naval Task Force was sighted.  He held the course straight to the target even thought his plane was subjected to intense enemy gunfire, realizing that to take the normal evasive action in approaching the target might allow the Task Force to successfully complete its assigned mission.  Four bomb runs at the low level of four hundred feet resulting in the sinking of a Japanese cruiser and destroyer.  Lieutenant Klepinger insisted that only three bombs be use per run in order to enable him to make more runs to the target instead of the dumping of the load on only one run and one vessel.  He completed four runs, three more than any other plane could have been expected to make and had performed a tremendous air-sea bombing exploit.  The exceptional courage, heroism, cool judgment and bombing skill demonstrated by Lieutenant Klepinger in dropping only three bombs per run in spite of almost certain destruction from enemy anti-aircraft fire reflects the highest credit upon himself and upon the Army Air Force.