Professionalism, skill, devotion earn Airmen Distinguished Flying Cross

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Aubrey White
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Picture yourself as an Air Force fighter pilot or weapon systems officer. You show up for work a little early, like any other day, happen to look at the flight schedule and see that all flights are cancelled due to a mass recall of all squadron personnel. Your mind fills with questions and concerns, and then you're tasked to fly a strike against Libyan regime forces within the next 48 hours.

That scenario was reality for eight F-15E Strike Eagle aircrew members, then assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, March 17, 2011.

Airmen earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for their quick-thinking and brave actions during Operation Odyssey Dawn 2011. The award ceremony was held at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

"I am absolutely humbled and honored to present this prestigious award," Col. Jeannie Leavitt, 4th Fighter Wing commander said during the ceremony. "This is an incredible story about heroes. Today, these aircrew members are joining the ranks of a very elite peer group including Charles Lindbergh, Buzz Aldrin and Chuck Yeager."

The medal was authorized by Congress to be awarded to any officer or enlisted person of the U.S. Armed Forces who have distinguished themselves in actual combat in support of operations by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.

The aircrew provided foreign intervention during the Libyan civil war by imposing a no-fly zone and helping to destroy pro-Gadhafi forces that threatened Libyan civilians.

The pilot who led the four Strike Eagle crews reflected on the intensity, timeliness and preparation to execute this historic mission.

"Everybody in the squadron was recalled to support this mission," the pilot said. "People were on leave in the United States, in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, but they were all called in to report for duty immediately. We didn't know what was happening, but we knew it wasn't an exercise. We were filled with questions and didn't know what to expect."

These feelings were heightened when the team arrived for a briefing with the windows and doors of the room covered. They were then informed they would fly a strike against the Libyan regime forces, possibly that night ... barely 12 hours from notification.

"It was surreal," the pilot said. "My family and I had been through deployments in the past but this time leaving them was sudden. I couldn't tell them why I wouldn't be sleeping at home that night; I couldn't tell them it's because I've flown to another country."

Although he and all of the aircrew members present were fully trained for that type of mission, he hadn't supported a real-world sortie like this and a sobering feeling came over him when he realized that preparation would soon be put to use.

"The lead jet was going to be flown by the squadron's weapons officer and the squadron commander; both combat veterans; your best and brightest, essentially," he said. "Walking out to the jet, I looked at my [crew mate] and said, 'I just have a feeling something's going to go wrong during ground operations, so just be ready in case we are called upon to lead this mission."

His feeling was correct and once operations began, the four-ship formation changed 50 percent from the original line-up due to aircraft issues.

Four hours into flying along with an F-16CM formation from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, the Airmen entered a surface-to-air, missile engagement zone and were immediately targeted by enemy, anti-aircraft artillery and mobile target tracking radars, which were capable of destroying airborne aircraft.

"The last known intelligence was that pro-regime forces had missiles which could take us down in a heartbeat," he said. "However, I was able to proceed with calm confidence. As a formidable team of F-15Es, F-16CMs and other support assets, we were lethal and accomplished what needed to be done."

Despite the threat, the crews were able to destroy and deflect pro-regime forces moving toward Benghazi, Libya. The flight group destroyed, five tanks, nine military vehicles and three tactical mobile surface-to-air missile systems.

"While watching the resulting news coverage, I realized a lot of Libyan citizens and rebel forces were praising what we did," the pilot said. "They were thanking the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations for saving their lives. It was very moving."

Though the aircrew members appreciate being recognized for their professionalism, skill and devotion to duty, the pilot explained that it was reward enough to have saved the lives of so many Benghazi citizens.