SALUTE
Posted on 04/04/2002 9:39:46 AM PST by BluH2o
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan " Soldiers here are careful not to use the term "hero" when describing actions observed on the battlefield. Not to say heroic actions haven't taken place. But the title is a badge of honor placed on only the most worthy combatants.
And it's being used to describe one airman. In fact, many commanders here say this "hero" is worthy of the Air Force Cross. Some even suggest the airman deserves the nation's highest military honor.
The enlisted tactical air controller, or ETAC, was part of a bloody 14-hour battle March 4. That day two Army MH-47 Chinook helicopters were brought down by enemy rocket-propelled grenades and machine-gun fire near the town of Gardez.
Six of 21 commandos on the first helo were killed, including two airmen and four soldiers. A Navy SEAL from the second helo was killed when the 32-year-old apparently fell out as the Chinooks retreated from the hostile fire.
Lt. Col. Kenneth Rozelsky, commander of the 682nd Air Support Operations Squadron, met some of the survivors when they returned to base.
"[One] came up to me and said "Sir, I lost four guys on this mission. If it wasn't for your ETAC, we would have lost the whole platoon. I will never go anywhere without my ETAC again."
"From a Special Forces master sergeant, to me, that's the highest praise you can get."
The ETAC, who is still in-country, declined an interview and cannot be named due to operational security reasons. But his story is becoming well known at this former Soviet air base.
A hero steps forward.
Troops here are familiar with how an outnumbered band of Americans squared off against al-Qaida forces willing to fight to the death in the Shah-e-Kot valley. Troops say it was there, amid the frigid, rocky terrain at least 8,000 feet above sea level, that a hero stepped forward, a hero some commanders and combatants say deserves the Medal of Honor.
Sources say the ETAC took two rounds to the torso, which may have been halted by his bulletproof vest, and took shrapnel in his shoulder during the battle of Shah-e-Kot valley.
Still, he ran out of his covered position and placed himself between the downed helicopter and the enemy. Crouched down behind a rock and partially exposed to enemy fire, the ETAC stood his ground and called in air strikes for 14 hours.
F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons pounded al-Qaida positions. AC-130 gunships, which fly at lower altitudes, soon joined the fight. According to reports from the area, they strafed al-Qaida positions with their M102 105 mm howitzers and 25 mm Gatling guns, which indicates the gunships were AC-130U Spookys.
The ETAC reportedly emptied 14 clips, 420 rounds, during the battle. But his greatest weapons were circling the skies above and dropping ordnance "danger close."
U.S. commanders at a mobile command post watched the battle from cameras mounted on RQ-1 Predator unmanned reconnaissance aircraft. They could see what one Pentagon official called "a large number of enemy forces" advancing on the survivors.
One senior commander here saw the Predator footage of the battle and heard the ETAC's transmissions. He drew a deep breath before he was able to recount what he saw.
"This airman, this injured airman, put himself between the troops and the enemy," he said. "I heard him at one point tell a pilot, 'good shot; that one was about 100 meters from me'. Then he told the pilot to bring it in even closer."
The officer said he had no doubt the ETAC was knowingly placing himself in harm's way to keep the enemy off his injured allies.
"If that's not absolute heroism, then I sure as hell don't know what is."
The Medal of Honor was last awarded to Army Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon and Army Sgt. 1st Class Randall D. Shughart for their actions Oct. 3, 1993, in support of Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Both snipers received the award posthumously.
"This airman, this injured airman, put himself between the troops and the enemy," he said. "I heard him at one point tell a pilot, 'good shot; that one was about 100 meters from me'. Then he told the pilot to bring it in even closer."
If that isn't MOH material, then nothing is. Your heart just swells with pride that this country produces men like this.
This man displayed extreme courage, devotion to duty, and confidence in the capabilities of the men he was working with.
AIR FORCE BUMP!
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