Airman earns Air Medal during first deployment

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Courtney Richardson
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  A 4th Fighter Wing cyberspace operations Airman earned a prestigious medal for actions during his first deployment.

Senior Airman Ross S. O'Donnell, 4th Communications Squadron radio frequency transmission systems specialist from Fishers, Ind., earned an Air Medal during his four-month deployment to Southwest Asia from Oct. 2010 to Jan. 2011.

U.S. military and civilian personnel are presented the Air Medal for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievements while participating in aerial flights during combat missions in support of operations.

During his deployment O'Donnell flew on 14 combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan in direct support of U.S. Central Command Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

"My main responsibility was to provide an airborne communications platform for voice communications, secure, non-secure and commercial internet" O'Donnell said.

The tasking for this deployment is normally 365 days but O'Donnell was short tasked to finish the remainder of another Airman's deployment, who had to return home early.

"The day after the tasker dropped, I was released from a hip-fracture profile and at the time I was the only one available to go," he said. "The commander approached me and asked me if I wanted to go and I said sure."

O'Donnell had no idea what the deployment entailed or what position he was going to be filling.

"A couple days before I left I assumed that I was going to be with aircrew" he said. "All of the pre-deployment qualifications involved survival training that is usually only for aircrew."

Roughly two weeks later O'Donnell departed Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and arrived at Fairchild AFB, Wash., for 22 days of pre-deployment training.

"Before I knew it, I was hiking up a mountain," he said. "I was out the door real quick."

After arriving in Southwest Asia, he learned he would be part of a five-man team responsible for setting up and operating four boxes of communications equipment, weighing 900 pounds. Two members of the team would be assigned to each mission typically flying aboard a C-130 or C-17.

"In a nutshell we supported senior leaders in Department of Defense, ensuring that they were in constant communications around the area of responsibility," he said.

O'Donnell's team directly supported the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the U.S. Central Command commander and the International Security and Assistance Forces commander. The team's efforts guaranteed national leaders continuous, real time contact with the U.S. President, the Secretary of Defense and combat forces on the ground.

"This was a great opportunity; I've been to more bases than I can count all in one deployment," he said. "I was really excited when I found out that I was being put in for an Air Medal."

While at home station O'Donnell's job is very different. He works at the communication focal point answering calls and troubleshooting tickets or in the radio shop, running the giant voice, opening radios or setting up sound systems for base events.

However, his successful deployment in this high-pressure position didn't surprise his commander here.

"O'Donnell jumped at the chance to tackle this opportunity, and the success of the mission is not a surprise ... he embraces the warrior ethos and always looks for a chance to integrate cyber into the warfighter mission," said Maj. Eric Crowell, 4th Communications Squadron commander. "He had a unique opportunity to handle a special mission for the Air Force. Very seldom do cyber troops get the chance to participate with air operations. This is the first Air Medal to a cyber troop I have seen in my 18 years [in the Air Force]."

Later this month, O'Donnell will have another opportunity to show his fellow Airmen what capabilities cyber specialist bring to the fight when he will depart here for another deployment.