The FReeper Foxhole - Long Night at Mo Duc, Vietnam 1972 - July 17th, 2004

see educational sources

[snippy_about_it]

Air Force Cross



Establishing Authority

The Air Force Cross was originally established by Act of Congress (Public Law 193, 65th Congress approved July 9, 1918) as the Distinguished Service Cross. Public Law 86-593, approved by Congress on July 6, 1960, amended Title 10 of the United States Code by authorizing the Air Force to present a distinctive version of the Distinguished Service Cross to Air Force recipients.

Effective Dates

The effective date of the Air Force Cross is July 6, 1960; however, awards based on earlier actions may be made after that date if the recommendations for them have not been acted on or have been lost.

Criteria

The Air Force Cross is the second highest decoration awarded by the Air Force and is given for extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor. It may be awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S Air Force, distinguishes himself by extraordinary heroism (1) in action against an enemy of the United States; (2) while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or, (3) while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. Like the Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Force Cross is presented in the name of the President, although the Air Force itself actually controls this award.

Order of Precedence

The Air Force Cross is worn after the Medal of Honor and before all other decorations.

Devices

Additional awards of the Air Force Cross are denoted by Oak Leaf Clusters.

Designer

The Air Force Cross was designed by Eleanor Cox and sculpted by Thomas Hudson Jones, both of the Army's Institute of Heraldry.

First Recipient

The first Air Force Cross was awarded posthumously to Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr. for service during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Description and Symbolism

Obverse

A bronze cross with an oxidized satin finish. Centered on the cross is a gold-plated American bald eagle, wings displayed against a cloud formation encircled by a laurel wreath finished in green enamel. The design is based on that of the distinguished Service Cross; the eagle and cloud formation are taken from the seal of the Air Force.

Reverse

The reverse of the Air Force Cross is blank for engraving the recipient's name.

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Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

www.afa.org/magazine

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

[Iris7]

First on deck, maybe?

Thinking of 1972, I had been out of Viet Nam a long time then.

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. You are first!!!

What year did you leave?

[SAMWolf]

Good Thread today, Snippy

[SAMWolf]

You even beat me today.:-)

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Sam, nice painting of the OV-10.

[SAMWolf]

Time to hit the sack. Good Night Snippy.

[snippy_about_it]

Me too. Good night Sam, goodnight Iris7.

[Iris7]

Been looking at the maps, was often indeed just south of Mo Duc. Bad place.

"But neither pilot had worked the recently assigned Mo Duc area. They were informed that there was no safe bailout area in the vicinity." Talk about a vast understatement. Better by far in that place to not get taken alive.

Ran across a story about one of ours made prisoner in that neighborhood who made it home. Turned out Hanoi and the Russians wanted to interrogate him, so he lived. Don't think anyone else made prisoner in that neck of the woods made it back. Be nice to be wrong. Any stories out there?

[Iris7]

Left about the start of the second week in February 1968. I had put in a request for extension of tour but a Chaplain of all things signed "no" on the chit. Well, hey, still kicking!

[Iris7]

So those Air Force guys left 265 NVA dead on the wire. Cool. Good shooting, especially at night.

Sure those boys weren't Navy?

[Iris7]

Acting like a tough guy, sorry. Memories are making my hair stand on end, scalp pricking all over, beard as bad. Hair on arms, too. Quite a place that was. I have a lot of sympathy for Calley.

[radu]

Good morning everyone!

To all our military men and women, past and present, and to our allies who stand with us,
THANK YOU!

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.

[U S Army EOD]

Yeah, I thought Vietnam was winding down in 1972 and there was absolutely no fighting at all. At least that is what I was told by people who weren't there in 1972. Those guys in that OV10 are lucky they didn't get popped with an SA7.

[U S Army EOD]

No, couldn't have been the Navy, they didn't bomb Da Nang Airbase. If you want that story let me know.

[alfa6]

Off to work bump for the Foxhole

The OV-10 lives on as a lead ship for the California Division of Forestry(I think) aerial forest fire attack ships. I have a couple of pics of an OV-10 with a spiffy white and red paint job and an N number in my files somewhere.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}