Five Airmen receive Silver Stars

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Becky J. LaRaia
  • 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. (AFPN) --  Air Force Secretary Dr. James G. Roche presented five Airmen here Silver Stars on Dec. 9 for their handling of close-air support missions during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

“(We) are extremely proud of all of you and of all the battle-fit Airmen in the 18th Air Support Operations Group. You’ve shown the world what American Airmen will do to defend the weak and bring peace to the oppressed,” Secretary Roche said during the ceremony.

Secretary Roche presented the medals to Lt. Col. James Fairchild, Tech. Sgt. Eric Brandenburg, Jr., Tech. Sgt. Jason Quesenberry and Staff Sgt. Thomas Case of the 17th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Benning, Ga., and Staff Sgt. Michael Shropshire, of the 20th ASOS at Fort Drum, N.Y.

Although he was not assigned to the group when his heroic act occurred, Colonel Fairchild now commands the 17th ASOS. His award was for efforts as an F-15E Strike Eagle weapons system officer at Shahi Kot Valley, Afghanistan, in March 2002 during Operation Anaconda. During this mission, he worked with tactical air controllers on the ground to support troops in combat.

“Those guys are the real heroes,” he said. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet about a third of the guys who were on the ground, and shaking their hands is probably the best reward there is.”

Because of the close proximity of friendly ground troops to enemy targets, his two-aircraft flight was forced to improvise and use low-level strafing runs. After their 20 mm ammunition was exhausted, the crews got the ground troops’ permission to drop laser-guided bombs. The aircrews and controllers worked together to drop successive bombs closer to Taliban and al-Qaida forces without injuring nearby U.S. forces. Colonel Fairchild’s aircraft was able to safely drop a single laser-guided bomb 200 meters from the friendly ground troops.

He said the hardest part about the mission was knowing that the troops on the ground were taking fire, but according to his citation, the flight was directly responsible for the eventual rescue of 23 people.

The colonel said he was proud to receive the award with three of his own troops.

“I really enjoy the mission that we’re doing now. I couldn’t ask to be working with better guys,” he said.

Sergeant Quesenberry was honored for his efforts during an attack while assigned to a ranger team near western Iraq. During the attack in which a combat controller was killed and three Army rangers were wounded, he risked exposure to rocket- and small-arms fire to direct close-air support aircraft and cover his teammates.

Disregarding wounds from an exploding rocket, Sergeant Quesenberry saved his team’s only communications link, his radio and Global Positioning System unit from a burning vehicle. The sergeant said the survival instinct kicked in, and he just wanted to help out other team members who were hurt more seriously. Despite heavy bleeding, Sergeant Quesenberry refused to seek medical treatment so he could continue coordinating air cover as the team moved to a safer position. The sergeant then treated the wounded, established a hasty defense and controlled air cover while coordinating their evacuation.

Sergeant Quesenberry was awarded the Purple Heart at an earlier time for his injuries, which took him off duty for about three months.

Sergeant Brandenburg was honored for his courage during a three-day firefight while attached to a ranger battalion near western Iraq. With rocket-propelled grenades exploding over his head, Sergeant Brandenburg fought off the enemy while requesting and controlling close-air support. The sergeant moved forward through the intense firefight to get better vantage points to control the air strikes and was actually blown into the air by an exploding artillery shell.

“Your training kicks in,” he said. “You train hours on end to be in that kind of situation. When it actually happens, you’re kind of shocked for a second, and then your training takes over, and it’s second nature.”

Sergeant Case was honored for his efforts during the same firefight. After his unit began receiving fire, Sergeant Case used his weapon to fight off the enemy while directing air strikes. During the onslaught, Sergeant Case was frequently hit by fragments of concrete and shrapnel from the blasts, but continued to control up to 14 aircraft at a time. These attacks punctured his rucksack and often knocked him to the ground.

He said the most frightening moment was when artillery started to come down on their heads.

“They can shoot at me all day long,” he said, “but when the big bombs start falling, it’s a little bit different.”

He said what got him through was faith in the men there with him and in God. Together they directed about 700 air strikes during the fight.

Sergeant Shropshire was honored for his actions at Abu Sukhayr, Iraq, in March 2003 when the Army unit he was attached to was attacked and surrounded by enemy forces. Surrounded, cut off, under a hail of enemy gunfire and in the largest sandstorm in four decades, Sergeant Shropshire coordinated close-air support while constantly switching from the radio handset to his rifle.

The sandstorm, compounded by rain, cut the controller’s visibility dramatically.

“It was basically raining mud,” Sergeant Shropshire said. Because of that, he relied heavily on the crew aboard an E-8C Joint Stars airborne command and control aircraft, who helped him to “see” through the muck.

During the firefight, Sergeant Shropshire left the security of his armored vehicle to confirm enemy armor locations, even though he was low on ammunition. He directed the munitions that destroyed 10 tanks, thwarting enemy forces about to overrun the unit’s position. He then quickly repaired his bullet-ridden satellite antenna and coordinated other air strikes.

“I couldn’t have done this by myself,” he said. “There were a lot of people on the outside working their pieces to help me accomplish my mission. The joint team worked out really well.”

Tactical air controllers are Airmen are assigned to Army combat maneuver units around the world. They are typically a two-Airmen team that works in an Army ground unit to direct close-air support toward enemy targets on the ground. The 18th ASOG Airmen operate and are deployed from 18 different locations across the United States.