Why this Air Force commando who fought with a shot lung doesn’t count deployments

[rangerrebew]

Why this Air Force commando who fought with a shot lung doesn’t count deployments

“Even if you go once, you did more than most."

By David Roza | Published Oct 22, 2021 9:10 AM

    Unsung Heroes Air Force News

 

There are badasses, and then there’s Senior Master Sgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr., an Air Force combat controller who received the Air Force Cross after a desperate firefight in Afghanistan in 2009 where he continued to fight and call in airstrikes despite being shot through his lung.

“I realized he was shot after the third (and final) strafe pass,” said Capt. Ethan Sabin, an A-10 attack plane pilot who worked with Gutierrez during that firefight. “He said he would be off of the ‘mic’ for a few to handle his gunshot wounds. Until that point he was calm, cool and collected.”

Gutierrez is a rock star in the Air Force Combat Control (CCT) community, whose members set up landing zones and call in airstrikes alongside Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, and other special operators. But you wouldn’t know that from hearing him talk. In fact, in a video about Gutierrez posted on the Air Force Special Tactics Facebook page on Tuesday, he refused to even say how many deployments he’s been on.

“I got a couple,” he said in the video. “Me personally, I don’t really like to talk about how many times I went here or there … because even if you go once, you did more than most.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-cct-robert-gutierrez/

[SZonian]

 

[GtHawk]

A man I would like to buy a beer for!

[sneakypete]

@SZonian

Yup,yup,yup!

I NEVER thought it was fair these guys never seemed to get the recognition they deserved.

Same with some US Navy personell. My neice has been married to her high school sweetheart for right at 20 years now. He joined the US Navy when he graduated from high school,and the Navy determined he had a gift for languages,so they sent him to that special US government language school at Presidio of Monterey,and taught him Muddle Eastern Languages. When it comes to immersion language schools,it just doesn't get any gooder than Presidio.

Poor SOB PROBABLY thought he was safe by joining the Navy,and his whole career has been TDY to US Army and USMC units in Shitstainistan,going on patrol witht he grunts,calling in air strikes and interrogating prisoners.

I WILL give the Navy credit for promoting him swiftly,instead of ignoring him because he wasn't working for the Navy. He will retire this year as a E-8,unless MAYBE they promote him to E-9,and I just don't see that happening. After 20 years with the US Army and the USMC,he really ain't going to fit in with the ocean going crowd and their attitudes.