Posted on 08/02/2007 5:05:50 PM PDT by SandRat
8/2/2007 - POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFPN) -- An Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot has received the Distinguished Flying Cross in a ceremony here July 27 for a nighttime rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2005.
Maj. Keith Wolak, with the 74th Fighter Squadron here received the honor for a combat search and rescue mission he coordinated July 2, 2005, when he cleared a helicopter landing zone while suppressing the enemy's attacks. The mission was to rescue a U.S. Navy SEAL on the ground.
"I feel very proud and very honored and I'll wear this medal with pride," said Maj. Wolak. "I didn't do anything any other combat search and rescue trained A-10 pilot wouldn't have done."
"We really weren't concerned with any surfaced air threat to the fighters out there," he said. "Our concern was getting the rescue helicopters in an area where, just the week before, we lost one helicopter due to surfaced air fire. Everything we were doing was basically to protect the guys in helicopters -- getting them in and out."
Another A-10 pilot, Maj. Jeff Yost of the 23rd Fighter Group, said A-10 pilots are trained for all types of weather conditions and real-world operational situations. He said that over time, the A-10 has developed into a close-air support asset, which means taking care of troops on the ground, which is exactly what Major Wolak was able to do that night.
When the lead A-10 attack plane's equipment failed to work, Major Wolak had the added responsibility of attacking several fighting positions around the landing zone in addition to being responsible for coordinating the mission.
"Any of the other pilots in the same shoes as me would have done the same thing," the major said. "It really pales in comparison to all the guys on the ground, all the guys in the helicopter who we lost the week before and the entire helicopter crews that night. What I did doesn't really compare to (their actions)."
What he was able to do was mark out the area using infrared technology, thereby guiding the helicopters to the landing zone safely. Without that guidance, the helicopters would not have been able to land, and the rescue would not have been successful.
"I always try to do the best job I can at what I am assigned because that's the right thing to do for the folks you are working with and for," he said.
Col. Kenneth Todorov pins the Distinguished Flying Cross on Maj. Keith Wolak during an award ceremony at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., July 27. Major Wolak is an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot with the 23rd Fighter Group at Pope AFB. Colonel Todorov is the 23rd Wing commander at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. (U.S. Air Force photo/Mike Murchison)
Hurray for the Warthogs!!!
DFC
BUMP
Wonderful. I salute him.
That is one Navy dude that is glad the USAF decided to keep (forced to) the A-10 around for a few more years!
Good on Maj. Wolak!
It was different not so long ago.
I wonder why I don't hear of any AC-130 usage out there.
That's a bird that really warms my heart.
Congratulations, Hog Driver!
Congratulations to the Major for a job well done, but the airman who wrote this needs to go back to school - what the heck is a “surfaced air threat”? (Surface-to-air threat seems what was intended...)
My favorite AC-130 is Azrael. She is now retired and at the AF Museum at Wright Pat. Her crew did the major share of damage to the enemy on the Highway of Death in DS1. The F-16's got most of the glory but Azrael did most of the work. BTW Azrael is the Muslim Angel of Death.
Hogs rule!!! Thank you Major !!
God Bless the Major.
Good for him. God bless him.
Long live the Warthog!
Wow!, she is a hottie, and this time I’m not talking about the plane.
We’re rather proud of her.
She’s an ugly beast, but very effective. I do not understand why the Marine Corp doesn’t pick this baby up from the USAF since they are planning on retiring it. It would be a logical choice for the Corp to provide air support for the boots on the ground.
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