Posted on 04/19/2004 9:11:52 PM PDT by Veloxherc
Reservist earns Pitsenbarger award
4/14/2004 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- A reservist from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., has been named the 2004 Pitsenbarger award winner.
Senior Master Sgt. Dale Berryhill, an airborne communications systems operator, was selected for his heroism while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sergeant Berryhill was a crewmember aboard an MC-130E Combat Talon I about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, when a fire erupted. The flames and smoke quickly engulfed the cargo compartment and flight deck of the aircraft, filling it with toxic fumes.
While other crewmembers donned their personal protective gear, Sergeant Berryhill recognized the dire situation and immediately controlled the fire. He then discharged the halon fire extinguisher at the source of the inferno without wearing personal-protective gear.
Sergeant Berryhill then made in-flight emergency calls; he managed five different radio nets simultaneously and ensured all incoming flights and the landing area were clear.
When his aircraft was attacked by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades upon landing, Sergeant Berryhill displayed amazing situational awareness when he passed pinpoint coordinates to the 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers, said Lt. Col. Kenneth Ray, 711th Special Operations Squadron commander.
"I just did my job," Sergeant Berryhill said. "There were nine other people on that airplane that night, and it took all of us doing something right to survive and get us all back safely. Fortunately, we had an experienced crew that night."
The Air Force Sergeant's Association gives the Pitsenbarger Award annually to an enlisted Airman for heroic acts, on or off duty, that save a life or prevent serious injury.
The award will be presented during the association’s national convention Aug. 21 to 25 in Columbus, Ohio. (Courtesy of Air Force Personnel Center News Service)
Plus an airborne communications systems operator is a Radio Operator. Which is an important crewmember on Special Ops and Rescue C-130’s?
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