vol. 2, no. 21  Serving Southern Nevada’s military community, including Nellis, Creech and NTTR                                            oct. 19, 2018

An Aerotech news And review publicAtion • www.Aerotechnews.com

Pilot receives AF Exceptional Aviator Award

by Airman 1st Class Bryan T. Guthrie                                            Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Bryan T. Guthrie

Nellis AFB, Nev.                             Lt. Col. Zach Laird, 6th Combat Training Squadron commander, Capt. Eric
                                             W. Calvey, an A-10 Weapons Instructor Course instructor assigned to the
   An A-10C Thunderbolt ll pilot was         6th CTS, and Nicholas B. Kehoe, President for the Congressional Medal of
awarded the Air Force Exceptional Avia-      Honor Foundation, pose for a photo in the 6th CTS auditorium on Nellis
tor Award on Oct. 5, in the 6th Combat       AFB, Nev., Oct. 5, 2018. Calvey received the Air Force Exceptional Aviator
Training Squadron auditorium at Nellis       Award after displaying leadership, airmanship and stopping enemies from
Air Force Base, Nev.                         advancing towards friendly troops during
                                             bad weather, jammed communications
   Capt. Eric W. Calvey, an A-10C Weap-      and with a malfunctioning target pod.     A Daedalian trophy sits at the
ons Instructor Course instructor as-                                                   Air Force Exceptional Aviator
signed to the 6th CTS, received the award                                              Award ceremony in the 6th
for outstanding leadership, airmanship       three enemy vehicles, several ZPU-2 Combat Training Squadron
and assuring mission success during          anti-aircraft machine guns, an enemy’s auditorium on Nellis AFB, Nev.,
Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria.         outpost and eight enemy fighters.         Oct. 5, 2018. The Daedalian
                                             “I’m confident that any other aviator trophy is presented to an aviator
   “Being the U.S. Air Force recipient of    in my unit would have fought with the who assures mission success,
this award is quite an honor, though I       same intensity and affected the battle in acts of valor, or an extraordinary
really am accepting the award on behalf      a positive manner on that day if placed in display of courage or leadership
of the professionals in the 74th Expedi-     the same situation as I was,” said Calvey. in support of air operations.                      Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Bryan T. Guthrie
tionary Fighter Squadron and the A-10
community in general,” said Calvey.
“The entire operational and maintenance
support structure plays a role in getting
our aircraft airborne, the weapons we
need to accomplish the mission and
return home safely. The ingenuity of
everyone in the unit to solve continu-
ously evolving tactical problems over the
course of the deployment is what makes
our squadron so successful and is what,
I feel, this award is truly about.”

   Facing deteriorating weather, jammed
communications and a malfunctioning
target pod, Calvey seized the initiative
by completing a series of reconnaissance
scans, integrating a remotely piloted air-
craft to identify and differentiate between
friendly and enemy positions, while build-
ing a picture of the complex battle field.

   “Captain Calvey’s nomination is
similar to the nominations from all the
services in previous years,” said Nicholas
B. Kehoe, President of the Congressional
Medal of Honor Foundation. “What
stood out to me was his willingness to
accept responsibility for supporting the
ground forces under serious fire despite
all the uncertainties and obstacles as-
sociated with the situation they faced,
such as bad weather, communications
problems, among others.”

   Exceptional Airmanship was instru-
mental in Calvey’s flight. He eliminated

INSIDE: Commentary — 2; News — 3-5; Veterans’ News — 6-8; Lighter Side — 16