10/10/1984
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu...
"A veteran of 325 combat missions during the Vietnam conflict, Dick Rutan had already proven himself a patriot and a hero."
"It's my honor to present the Presidential Citizens Medal to Richard G. Rutan."
"You reminded us all that aviation history is still being written by men and women with the spirit of adventure and derring-do."
"I was kind of thinking it was pretty funny that an ex-officer of horse cavalry was here standing, handing out medals to somebody that had flown around the world on a single tank of gas."