Heroism earns Airman prestigious award

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman John Gordinier
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  An NCO from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., received the Keeper of the Flame Award Sept. 20 for his efforts in fighting the war on terrorism from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Tech. Sgt. Stephen Achey, a 682nd Air Support Operations Squadron senior fighter duty technician, received the award from Marine Gen. Peter Pace as the chairman presented the annual award to a representative from each military service.

The event, attended by members of Congress, the military, the executive branch, diplomats, captains of industry and the press, bestows recognition on individuals who devote their careers to the propagation of democracy and respect for individual rights throughout the world. 

This year, the award recipients include Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and a member from each military service who was featured in the book, "Home of the Brave: Honoring the Unsung Heroes in the War on Terror," by Caspar Weinberger and Wynton Hall. 

The book contains 19 stories from the most highly decorated Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the military. Each story details a heroic event that took place during the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Sergeant Achey's story from Afghanistan was the reason he was chosen as the Air Force's recipient of the Keeper of the Flame Award. 

"Forty-four personnel including myself left Bagram Air Base March 2, 2002, around 4 a.m. in two CH-47 Chinook (helicopters)," Sergeant Achey said. "We landed at the south end of Shahi Kot Valley, Afghanistan. Thirty to 40 seconds after the helos took off, we took fire from three directions. It was mortar -- rocket-propelled grenades -- and small arms fire.

"I was getting fired at by (an enemy combatant) hiding behind a rock," he said. "I returned fire ... missed him and took cover while he returned fire. Then I got him. Unfortunately, his buddies saw me and mortar fire picked up. That's when he thought it was all over.

"A mortar round hit close to my feet, which flipped me over," Sergeant Achey said. "I landed on my back. I sat there thinking 'I'm dead.'

"I moved my feet and looked around to make sure I was all there," he said. "I was alright except for the ringing in my ears."

Sergeant Achey found cover and called in for air support, but realized he didn't have a good global positioning system to give them the coordinates. The Army fire support officer told Sergeant Achey of a GPS that was dropped down a hill, in range of the enemy. Sergeant Achey made the decision to retrieve it. 

"I asked for cover and started running," Sergeant Achey said. "While receiving enemy fire at the bottom of the hill, I grabbed the GPS and ran back. I turned the GPS on and gave air support the coordinates. Then the bombs started to drop."

The enemy took shelter in a bunker, but Sergeant Achey called in the coordinates and an F-18 Hornet flew in and destroyed the bunker, which was filled with Taliban and al Qaeda fighters. After a long day and 16 air strikes later, Sergeant Achey and the rest of his unit returned to Bagram Air Base. His heroic actions earned him the Silver Star.

The other servicemembers honored with the Keeper of the Flame Award were Army Sgt. Micheaux Sanders, Marine Capt. Brian Chontosh, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Luis Fonseca, and Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Bradley Middleton. 

"The fight for freedom has been and always will be continual," General Pace said at the annual Keeper of the Flame dinner. "What makes me feel so good about the future of our country is the five individuals standing behind me tonight, because they truly are the future of our country."

The Keeper of the Flame Award was inaugurated in 1990 by the Center for Security Policy. Past Keeper of the Flame Award recipients include: General Pace, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich, former President Ronald Reagan, former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, and Fortune 500's Malcolm "Steve" Forbes Jr.

(Some information courtesy of the Center for Security Policy Web and Army Sgt. Sara Wood of American Forces Press Service)