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An A-10 pilot acquired the Distinguished Flying Cross lately for heroism throughout a struggle 10 years in the past.
His actions had been a part of what one official known as “one of the vital intense fight rescue missions of the Afghanistan struggle.”
The pilot not solely coordinated 21 plane over 37 communications frequencies, however he put himself in hurt’s means to attract fireplace.
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A US Air Pressure A-10 Thunderbolt II assault plane pilot acquired a prestigious award lately for his position in a harmful rescue mission 10 years in the past in Afghanistan, the Air Pressure mentioned in an announcement.Lt. Col. Mike “Vago” Hilkert, a pilot with the 303rd Fighter Squadron, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross final month for heroism throughout what has been described as “one of the vital intense fight rescue missions of the Afghanistan struggle.”Throughout that six-hour struggle on April 23, 2011, Hilkert not solely coordinated the warfighting efforts of 21 plane over dozens of frequencies, however he additionally deliberately put himself and his airplane in hurt’s means repeatedly to attract enemy fireplace away from rescue helicopters.The 442nd Fighter Wing mentioned Hilkert additionally helped save the lives of greater than 30 individuals.Within the early hours of the day, when it was nonetheless darkish, two Air Pressure HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters carrying pararescuemen had been despatched out to reply to a downed Military helicopter.
One helicopter, name signal Pedro 83, dropped three pararescuemen onto a ridge a number of hundred toes from the crash website, the place they discovered one of many Military helicopter pilots alive. The opposite Pave Hawk, Pedro 84, dropped two PJs nearer to the crash website. The opposite pilot was useless after they arrived.The PJs and their helicopters started taking heavy fireplace virtually instantly.Pedro 84 took heavy fireplace, and the flight engineer was shot within the leg, forcing the helicopter to return to base to get the airman medical consideration and to seize one other engineer. The 2 PJs, Employees Sgts. Zachary Kline and Invoice Cenna, had been left on the crash website.Pedro 83 tried to get the three PJs and the surviving pilot out however needed to lower the hoist, as a substitute decreasing the helicopter down into what the Air Pressure described as “a daring one-wheel hover” to get them again.
Supported by AH-64 Apache helicopters flying overwatch, Kline and Cenna took cowl in a rock outcropping, however they had been pressured to desert that place and relocate as enemy fireplace set off the munitions on the downed Military helicopter.
An Air Pressure A-10 flies a mission over Afghanistan
US Air Pressure Photograph by Employees Sgt. Corey Hook
Hilkert, then a captain with the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, was supporting floor forces in his A-10 when the decision for assist got here in over the Guard frequency.”You could perceive that in a fight zone utilizing Guard is sacred — a final resort,” Lt. Col. Rick Mitchell, the 442d Operations Group deputy commander who introduced Hilkert with the DFC, mentioned in an announcement, calling it “a real signal that issues are dangerous, and somebody wants assist.”Hilkert, fueled partly by Rip-It vitality drinks and flying Hawg 73, joined forces with Capt. Rustin “Trombone” Traynham and Lt. Col. David “Seymour” Haworth in Hawg 71 and 74 respectively, forming Sandy 1, a drive of three A-10s.
They fired rockets into the valley whereas Hilkert established airspace restriction and communications relays for coordinating the struggle.The rockets gave Kline and Cenna a brief reprieve earlier than they quickly discovered themselves taking heavy machine gun fireplace at shut vary.Hilkert managed to determine the menace and relay concentrating on info to the opposite two A-10s whereas refueling, which is not any simple process, and the 2 different pilots opened fireplace with their 30 mm cannons, “saving Kline’s and Cenna’s lives,” the Air Pressure mentioned.Two teams of 16 Military fast response drive troopers landed at two completely different places later that morning, instantly coming underneath fireplace. One soldier was killed, and quite a lot of others had been wounded.
Hilkert tracked one group together with his binoculars whereas monitoring the opposite together with his concentrating on pod. He additionally coordinated the efforts of the assault helicopters, tanker, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance belongings, and the opposite assault plane to protect floor forces from pleasant fireplace whereas monitoring enemy positions.Two rescue helicopters supported by two Apaches and two A-10s flown by Hilkert and Haworth flew in to evacuate a wounded soldier, however the helicopters saved having to fall again amid heavy incoming fireplace.To attract the fireplace away from the helicopters attempting to hold out a rescue mission, Hilkert repeatedly flew his plane into hurt’s means. The Apaches then hammered the enemy positions with Hellfire missiles.One other rescue helicopter flew in and received Kline and Cenna, who additionally managed to get the fallen Military pilot out as properly.
Although the Air Pressure praised Hilkert, saying that his “ability and vigilance led to the securing of two touchdown zones, rescuing the 2 Guardian Angels, and recovering the downed pilot and evacuation of the 32 troopers within the QRF workforce,” he mentioned the expertise was “bittersweet.””I am honored to be amongst a gaggle of heroes that did their greatest with a nasty state of affairs,” he mentioned in an announcement. “A number of individuals misplaced their lives throughout this mission, so it wasn’t all excessive fives once we received house. We flew again to Kandahar in silence.”Hilkert is the fourth Air Pressure pilot who participated in that mission to earn the Distinguished Flying Cross. Moreover, two pararescue airmen acquired Silver Stars, as did two helicopter pilots.
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