B-1 crew members receive Distinguished Flying Crosses

  • Published
  • By Capt. James H. Cunningham III
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Four Ellsworth B-1 Lancer crew members, who on April 7 struck a "target of opportunity" believed to be the site of a high-level Iraqi leadership meeting, have received Distinguished Flying Crosses.

Capt. Chris Wachter, aircraft commander; Capt. Sloan Hollis, pilot; and weapon systems officers 1st Lt. Joe Runci, and Lt. Col. Fred Swan received the awards from Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Combined Forces Air Component commander for U.S. Central Command, at a forward operating location.

During the almost 11-hour sortie, the crew, flying a B-1 nicknamed "Seek and Destroy," struck 17 separate targets using two versions of precision-guided munitions.

According to the citation, the B-1 was engaged in midair refueling when a call came from an airborne control aircraft telling them "this is the big one" and directing them to the new priority target. Twelve minutes later four weapons struck the target.

The crew then struck six additional sites within 15 minutes of hitting the leadership target in the Iraqi capital. With 14 weapons remaining and approximately 20 minutes of loiter fuel left, the crew received nine more targets, which included missiles, radars and support vehicles for a surface to air missile system in Tikrit. They successfully struck all nine in one pass, again within 15 minutes of receiving the target coordinates.

"These medals are a testament to this airframe and its crews," said Col. James Kowalski, 405th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "They're simply the best at what they do; they continue to prove it."