Servicemembers earn national security awards

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  The Air Force chief of staff and two Airmen were among the honorees at the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs awards dinner here Nov. 2. 

The event honored the 2009 JINSA Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson Distinguished Service Award and Grateful Nation Award winners. 

Created to recognize leaders whose careers have been dedicated to building strong military capability for the U.S. and its allies, this year's Jackson Award was presented to the U.S. military service chiefs and the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. 

In accepting the award, now in its 27th year, Gen. Norton Schwartz acknowledged the 680,000 total force Airmen who, "on a daily basis, stand shoulder to shoulder with our joint teammates in serving our great nation." 

"I am proud of our Airmen, who are performing exceptional deeds around the world," said the Air Force's top uniformed officer. 

Two such Airmen were among those honored with the JINSA Grateful Nation awards. Maj. Austin Moore of the Arizona Air National Guard was the Air Force recipient and Tech. Sgt. Christopher Grove from Hurlburt Field, Fla., was the U.S. Special Operations Command recipient. 

According to a JINSA official, the 2009 Grateful Nation Award "is presented annually to six young heroes recognized for having distinguished themselves through superior conduct in the war on terrorism." Created in 2003, the award seeks to acknowledge contributions of servicemembers "serving on the front lines of freedom." 

Major Moore is a MQ-1 Predator pilot with the 214th Reconnaissance Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. In support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, the major flew more than 250 combat sorties to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support to combatant commanders. 

In support of OEF, Major Moore guided two Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to a group of 15 Afghan insurgents he was tracking. The resulting engagement killed eight. In another incident, the major used the Predator's laser to direct laser-guided bombs from two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs to kill five Taliban extremists. 

Major Moore also helped a 36-member special operations team capture eight enemy fighters with the video support from his Predator. On another mission, the major guided ground forces to capture an enemy fighter fleeing into the night. 

Sergeant Grove is a combat controller with the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron at Hurlburt Field. Combat controllers are trained special operations forces and certified Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. Assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command, combat controllers join forces with pararescuemen and special operations weathermen to form highly trained special tactics teams, according to Buffy Galbraith, Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs.

He served his second tour in Afghanistan last winter assisting an Amy Special Forces team. The NCO engaged enemy forces 15 times, killing 35 enemy fighters and directing the dropping of more than 32,000 pounds of munitions. He earned his fifth Bronze Star during the deployment. 

Sergeant Grove also coordinated the evacuation of 10 wounded coalition soldiers and Afghan civilians, directed 24 resupply air drops, conducted a helicopter air assault and combat reconnaissance patrol of a Taliban-controlled village, and orchestrated coalition air assets to protect his team during an ambush. 

"Airmen like Major Moore and Sergeant Grove exemplify the dedication, sacrifice, and distinguished service of all of our brave men and women in uniform," General Schwartz said. 

He noted that he and his wife, Suzie, recognize that the global nature of military work means servicemembers and their families are making enormous sacrifices. He asked the audience to stand and applaud the families' service and support. 

"It's important that each of us recognize that while the military member is honored here tonight, that there is a vital component that also serves, and that is the spouse and the families," the general said. 

In addition to their actions on the battlefield, both honorees also participated in significant community service programs or events on the home front. In addition to Major Moore and Sergeant Grove, the other Grateful Nations recipients are Army Sgt. Gregory Ruske, Marine Cpl. Richard Weinmaster, Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer John Marcum (awarded posthumously) and Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Boyles. 

The other military leaders named as recipients of the Jackson Distinguished Service Award were Army Chief of Staff Gen. George M. Casey Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Thad W. Allen, and USSOCOM Commander Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson. 

JINSA presented its first Distinguished Service Award to Sen. Henry H. "Scoop" Jackson in 1982, according to a JINSA official. After the senator's death a year later, JINSA renamed the award in his memory, the official added. 

According to the JINSA Web site, "This prestigious award enables JINSA to recognize and thank those leaders whose careers have been distinguished by the principle that is the foundation of JINSA's work; the belief that the United States requires a strong military capability for both its own security and for that of trustworthy friends and allies. This was the cornerstone of the late Senator Jackson's visionary policy and it guides JINSA today. Senator Jackson helped define our mandate and our programming is designed to further it."