Airmen are pissed that an entire C-17 crew except for the maintainer received a Distinguished Flying

[rebewranger]

Airmen are pissed that an entire C-17 crew except for the maintainer received a Distinguished Flying Cross
"He was practically Chewbacca in ‘A New Hope.'"

BY DAVID ROZA | PUBLISHED APR 8, 2022 9:15 AM
   
The Air Force recently honored four of its airmen for their performance during last year’s evacuation of Kabul, Afghanistan by awarding the Distinguished Flying Cross. But many airmen are fuming after noticing that one of the crew did not receive the prestigious award, despite playing a key part in the mission. That airman was the flying crew chief, Staff Sgt. Dennis Gonzales-Furman, of the 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
 
Gonzales-Furman and his fellow airmen were flying members of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to Kabul aboard a C-17 cargo jet on Aug. 15 when thousands of civilians breached the airfield at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. The civilians were fleeing the Taliban, who had just seized control of the capital city.


“The conditions that day were like none I had ever seen,” said the aircraft commander, Lt. Col. Dominic Calderon, of the 301st Airlift Squadron according to an Air Force press release. “The airfield was breached and there were mass crowds entering.”

Despite the pressure and chaos, Calderon, his fellow 301st squadron members 1st Lt. Kyle Anderson and Master Sgt. Silva Foster, Senior Airman Michael Geller of the 517th Airlift Squadron and Gonzales-Furman worked fast and managed to rescue 153 U.S. citizens, allied partners and Afghans.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-c-17-distinguished-flying-cross-afghanistan/?traffic_source=Connatix

[sneakypete]

Well,I admit to having mixed feelings about this.

YES,they DID act heroically.

BUT......,it's not like they had a choice once the aircraft commander decided he wasn't going to take off until they had loaded the aircraft with evacuees.

In other words,everybody else was just doing what they HAD to do in order to get the aircraft loaded as soon as possible so they could take off.

I CAN see them all getting Bronze Stars for Meritorious Service,but that's it.

For those of you who don't know,a Distinguished Flying Cross is only ONE step below the Medal of Honor.

BTW,I would REALLY like to hear an explanation why more  USAF Air Commandos haven't received DFC's,and even MOH's for going in alone in enemy territory to rescue,strap in,and and see to it that injured pilots that have been shot down are rescued and their lives are saved.

Think about this one for a minute. These people are going into enemy territory that is crawling with enemy soldiers looking for that shot down pilot,and the helicopter they arrive in that suddenly hovers over a clearing or a section of the jungle is an EXCELLENT clue to the enemy that the pilot or pilots they seek  are right where the helo is hovering.

Not only that,but the Air Commando's,even through they are armed with CAR- aren 's and handguns,really aren't going in to fight. They are going in to rescue the crew from the downed aircraft,and the crew may be/probably is too wounded or injured from the crash to do that themselves.

Which means the air crew gets strapped into the rescue equipment first,and the Air Commando or Commando's are the last to leave.

It's ain't a job for the meek!

BTW,the US Navy also has designated air crew rescue people,but I can't remember what they are called.