Page 9 - DFCS News Magazine Summer 2014

The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presen ng the Dis nguished Flying Cross to Captain Charles C. Napier for heroism while par cipa ng in aerial flight as HH-60G Aircra Commander of Pedro 62, 26th Expedi onary Rescue Squad- ron, 651st Air Expedi onary Group, 451st Air Expedi onary Wing, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan near Sperwan Ghar, Afghanistan on 10 December 2012. On that date, Captain Napier launched with his flight lead, Pedro 61, on a high risk mission to rescue four cri cally wounded coali on Soldiers following an insurgent a ack with small arms fire and an Improvised Explosive Device in a vil- lage west of Kandahar. Upon arrival at the evacua on site, he executed a challenging restricted visibility approach into a heavily
ru ed field to insert his Guardian Angel Team. During landing, his aircra immediately came under enemy small arms fire from a concealed com- pound 75 meters away. Following inser on of the Guardian Angel Team, Captain Napier skillfully maneuvered his aircra into firing posi ons numerous mes. On one weapons pass he flew within 60 feet of the enemy shielding friendly forces from aimed, effec ve fire. His aircra en- gaged the enemy and simultaneously marked the enemy posi on, enabling a forma on
of two United States Army a ack helicopters to posi vely iden fy and suppress one of the enemy posi ons. Captain Napier courageously flew into the hot landing zone a sec- ond me to extract three of the wounded, as well as three Guardian Angel Team mem- bers. As Aircra Commander, he directed his crew as they con nued to provide suppres- sive fire during the forma on’s egress from the objec ve. His decisive ac ons and tac - cal skill allowed the evacua on of cri cally wounded coali on Soldiers from the ba le- field. The outstanding heroism and selfless devo on to duty displayed by Captain Napier reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presen ng the Dis nguished Flying Cross to Major Christopher D. Cisneros for heroism while par cipa ng in aerial flight as A-10C Pilot. On that date, Major Cisneros’ bravery, courage under fire and avia on skills saved the lives of 90 Coali on Forces. Returning from air refueling Major Cisneros was thrust into the middle of a raging ba le, as his flight lead departed with ba le damage. Under low ceilings and in extreme mountainous terrain, Major Cisneros flew low through rain showers con nually exposed to the enemy’s fire. He quickly located the surrounded Coali on Force that had taken casual es and then verified the close enemy’s posi on with mely and
effec ve rockets. As Major Cisneros pressed the a ack, another set of A-10’s arrived; he took on- scene command and led the three ships of A-10s on mul ple dangerous close strafing passes. He expertly employed and controlled 1,940 rounds of 30 millimeter, ensuring mely correc ons to ad- just fire and allow the friendly forces to break contact with the close enemy. Once the friendly forces broke contact, he successfully orchestrated a casualty evacua on, providing close cover for two HH- 60 rescue helicopters into the hot landing zone.. The direct results of Major Cisneros’ ac ons under fire, single ship, in extreme weather, providing on scene command and direc ng a casualty evacua- on resulted in the successful neutraliza on of the enemy. The brave and heroic skills displayed by Major Cisneros reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Bruce Huffman
Our upcoming conven on in St. Petersburg / Clearwater is right around the corner, and we ask you all to con nue to build on the momentum the Society has built on a very successful year to date. Every member should be proud of the performance of the Board and the way it has served the interests of our membership. There are a number of ini a ves currently underway or coming to frui on that will yield very posi ve results for our Society for years to come.
We should all herald the recent passage of The Dis nguished Flying Cross Na onal Memorial Act. It was through a rare display of bi- par sanship, stemming from the ini al sponsorship of Congressman Ken Calvert (R), (CA-42) coupled with the support of Senator Joe Manchin (D), WV that this was finally brought to a successful conclu- sion. This achievement gives every recipient of the Dis nguished Flying Cross a memorial that affords na onal recogni on to their heroism or achievement while engaged in aerial flight. This was ac- complished by and for our membership and for all those who are recipients of the award. This is finally your na onal memorial and has earned the recogni on it deserves. A special debt of gra tude should go to Jim Champlin, Chuck Sweeney, and a young Legisla ve Affairs Assistant, in the office of Sen. Manchin, Erin Burns, who con- nued to believe that government can and should serve the na on’s interest and that of the electorate.
Many of you have received and responded to our blast email on par- cipa ng in the Medal of Honor Founda on’s Character Development Program (CDP). I am happy to report that a significant number of our membership has responded to Lewis Wa ’s pitch to help facilitate CDP introduc on into local school curriculums. Character develop- ment, for our young, ma ers more now than at any other me in our na on’s history. I can think of no more worthy cause than to influ- ence the mind of a child with posi ve values that shape character. If you missed the sign up in the first round, reach out to Lewis and en- gage. Take the shot!
Under the able leadership of Greg McNeil, a re-branding effort is un- derway that you should begin to see the results of in our wri en and electronic communica ons that posi ons our DFC brand with both elegance and sophis ca on. We should have a Challenge Coin availa- ble shortly that will also display the best of those efforts. Progress con nues to be made toward securing a sponsor for our upcoming documentary featuring the most poignant of the narra ves from the award of the Dis nguished Flying Cross; represen ng each of our five service branches. If your story is one of those, we’d love to hear it.
I look forward to seeing you in St. Petersburg / Clearwater and to share in the fellowship and revel in the tales of daring do from days gone by. The wonderful thing about our fellowship is not what a hero you were, but what a hero the member you spoke with at the conven- on was. See you all in Florida!
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