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Air Force Cross

Air Force CCT Receives Air Force Cross For Valor in Afghanistan

Staff Sgt. Richard Hunter, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, was awarded the Air Force’s highest medal, the Air Force Cross, for gallantry against an armed enemy of the U.S. in combat.

Hunter was a CCT assigned to a Special Forces A-Team from the 10th SFG (A) in Afghanistan in November 2016 when along with Afghan allies, they were ambushed by a vastly superior numerical force. The troops were taking fire from an arc of 270 degrees and the quick actions of Hunter along with the SF A-team members saved the day.

Finding themselves trapped in the village, and in a dire situation, Hunter and his team withstood an enemy ambush of grenades and machine gun fire, resulting in four friendly force injuries.
Hunter charged forward under enemy fire, leaving cover to drag a wounded teammate back with one hand, while using his free hand to call in suppressive fire through close air support from the Spooky 43 crew overhead.

“At this point, [the team] is dragging [casualties] down the alleyway while still returning fire, and we’re using all of our weapons on the aircraft to destroy fighting positions and buildings … all within about 12 meters of Staff Sgt. Hunter,” said Maj. Alexander Hill, aircraft commander of Spooky 43. “We told Hunter to put his head down, and we fired closer than I think anyone’s ever fired an air-burst round.”

As the Spooky 43 crew received the calls from Hunter on the ground for the firepower necessary to deter the enemy, they were required to exceed cooling requirements on the 105-mm Howitzer cannon, risking potential detonation inside the aircraft. With their expert skill and coordination, the crew was able to support the ground forces with the 40-mm cannon and at times forced to manually fire rounds called on by Hunter to defeat the enemy.

According to Hill, the crew actively fired every weapon available to them for 107 consecutive minutes during the battle.

Hunter received his award from the Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson in a ceremony at Hurlburt Field, Florida on October 17. While the actions of Hunter during the battle killed an estimated 26 Taliban and wounded close to the same amount, it was the lives that he saved that Hunter and the troops he fought with will remember. Another version of the story can be read here:

To read the entire article from DVIDSHUB.net, click here:

Photo courtesy US Air Force

Two Air Force Special Operators Receive Air Force Cross For Heroism

On Thursday of this week, two US Air Force special operators, Chris Baradat and Keary Miller were awarded the Air Force Cross for valor at Hurlbert Field, FL home of the 24th Special Operations Wing.

Both men had earlier received Silver Stars for valor a few years ago, but as the Air Force and the DOD reviewed their actions, the awards were upgraded. It was the first time in history that the Air Force has awarded two Air Force Crosses on the same day.

Baradat received his award for actions in 2013 while serving with an Army Special Forces unit, while part of the 21st Special Tactics squadron and directing air support during operations in the Sono Valley part of the Kunar Province of Afghanistan. He was credited with saving 100-150 lives both American and Afghan allies in the battle.

Chris Baradat receives his Air Force Cross at Hurlbert Field, Florida on Thursday.

 “I don’t feel that I was doing anything above and beyond and heroic,” Baradat said shortly before being honored yet again in a historic ceremony in Florida. “I was doing the job that I was supposed to do.”

Baradat’s heroics are related to a battle in which he directed 13 500-pound bombs and more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition during three hours of intense fighting amid a mission to rescue allies trapped in a valley under Taliban control.

Miller, who served with the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, is credited with dashing through deep snow and heavy fire multiple times to care for critically wounded U.S. troops during a 17-hour battle against al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002.

Baradat, who left the Air Force last year and now lives in California, said he was not seeking medals during the fight on April 6, 2013.

“I was just concentrating on doing my job,” he said. “It was a very busy, hectic situation.”

According to accounts of the battle, Baradat put his life on the line even as members of the Special Forces team and Afghan commandos he was attached to shouted for him to take cover.

Miller, a pararescueman assigned to the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, was decorated for constantly running thru deep snow and heavy fire multiple times to care for critically wounded U.S. troops during a 17-hour battle against al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan on March 4, 2002.

Miller has since retired from the Air Force.

To read the entire archived article from the Fayetteville Observer click here:

Photos courtesy US Air Force