Crew of gunship 'Spooky 41' are all awarded medals after raining fire on ISIS militants for NINE hou

[mystery-ak]

Crew of gunship 'Spooky 41' are all awarded medals after raining fire on ISIS militants for NINE hours to allow rescue of 15 wounded soldiers in Afghanistan battle likened to Iwo Jima

    Aircrew of the AC-130U gunship 'Spooky 41' with Hurlburt Field's 4th Special Operations Squadron were honored at the military facility in Fort Walton Beach
    The 14-man crew received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 12 Air Medals for for providing nine hours of fire support
    Crew helped U.S. and coalition forces during April 2019 mission in Afghanistan
    While allied forces battled ISIS on the ground, the crew of Spooky 41 helped to ensure the safe evacuation by helicopter of 15 injured ground personnel
    DFCs are awarded for 'Heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight'

By James Gordon For Dailymail.com

Published: 22:40 EST, 2 March 2020 | Updated: 03:37 EST, 3 March 2020

The crew of a U.S. gunship have been awarded bravery medals at a ceremony in Florida after they rained fire down on Islamic State militants for hours, as allied soldiers on the ground were whisked to safety.

Forces on the ground came under heavy fire from ISIS militants in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan on April 3, 2019, in a ferocious fight which one Major on the ground likened to infamous WW2 battle Iwo Jima.

They called for backup from 'Spooky 41' - a AC-13OU gunship, and the Hercules-variant plane arrived within minutes to provide covering fire and ensure medical helicopters could safely evacuate the injured.

The crew were up in the air for nine hours and managed to suppress enemy fire during the evacuation of 15 wounded soldiers.


Fourteen Air Commandos with the 4th Special Operations Squadron were presented two Distinguished Flying Crosses and 12 Air Medals by Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, at Hurlburt Field, Florida



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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8067881/Two-pilots-awarded-DFCS-flying-Spooky-Hercules-gunship-NINE-hours-hold-ISIS.html

[sneakypete]

Ok,I have personally had Spooky and Casper (original gunships) flying cover over me and providing suppressive fire to keep the NVA from climbing over my body,but a DFC is supposed to be awarded for courage in combat against an armed enemy. I doubt their C-130 took even ONE bullet strike,and the Taliban have no Air Force,so where was the courage under fire?

Give them all a Bronze Star for Meritorious Service and an Air Medal if you want,but a DSC is only ONE very small step below a Medal of Honor,and is supposed to mean something. The Army equivalent is the Distinguished Service Cross,and is almost always awarded because the soldiers  were first put in for a Medal of Honor and had it disapproved,so they got the DSC instead.

What next,giving Silver Stars to drone operators in Nevada?

[rangerrebew]

 Gunship crew awarded 14 medals for joint SOF Afghanistan mission

By Staff Sgt. Nicole King, 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs / Published March 07, 2020

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) -- On the night of April 3, 2019, on a heavily-fortified mountainside near Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, a group of joint American special operations and coalition forces found themselves taking fire as casualties mounted after an improvised explosive device attack.

In need of assistance, the Special Tactics operators on the ground called for an AC-130U “Spooky” Gunship, (call sign Spooky 41) who arrived to suppress the enemy located in close proximity to the group.

As the gunship fired down on the enemy, at times less than 140 meters from the group, three medical-evacuation helicopters hovered more than an hour to safely rescue all 15 patients. The enemy was not able to get a single shot off at the MEDEVAC helicopters, due to the precise airpower strikes of Spooky 41’s aircrew.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2101758/gunship-crew-awarded-14-medals-for-joint-sof-afghanistan-mission/