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Rescue Under Fire: Air Force Reserve rescue crew recognized for battlefield heroics

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Heather Kelly
  • 920th Rescue Wing
ORLANDO, Fla. --  At a convention center in Central Florida, a collection of blue service uniforms is scattered throughout a banquet hall. A mixture of laughter and light table chatter can be heard above the sound of silverware clattering as servers bring out the main course. Just a few miles away, thousands of families and tourists are taking in all the cartoon splendor and entertainment that Walt Disney World has to offer.

In the crowded hall sit two helicopter pilots. One is a newly-minted captain. The other, a seasoned lieutenant colonel. Both men appear as though they would be more comfortable in a well-worn flight suit and cockpit rather than sitting in a banquet hall in their dress blues.

Those around them have no idea that one year ago in July 2008, these two men were about as far away from polite table conversation and Walt Disney World as you can get.

Afghanistan, July 28, 2008

"We were a combined group of Air Force aircrew, pararescuemen, maintainers, medical, Army Special Forces and aircrews all living together on a base the size of a soccer field," said Capt. Brough McDonald.

The consortium of servicemembers was located at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ripley in Afghanistan.

"If a mission dropped, we would go and pick up the patient, bring them back and hand them over to the field surgical team. This wasn't our traditional search and rescue mission, this was battlefield evacuation."

This was the first deployment for the captain. After enlisting in 1999, Captain McDonald spent six years as an F-16 crew chief before getting picked up for the Undergraduate Pilot Training program. The mission he participated in July 28 proved to be the hardest flying he's ever done.

According to reports that day, a U.S. Special Forces team operating in Afghani foothills was ambushed by a Taliban force of superior size and strength. The team was able to move into a defensive position but not before sustaining at least three casualties. They immediately requested rescue, close air support and an urgent ammo re-supply.

The HH-60 helicopter crew of Shocker 21 listened on their radio as the battle unfolded, anticipating the mission to come.

"When we got launched, we were off the ground in six minutes. We get in and it is a gun fight...between the good guys and the bad. Everybody was calm on the radio but you could hear the stress in their voices," he said.

Captain McDonald's crew consisted of Staff Sgt. Sean Loose, Staff Sgt. James Benson, Staff Sgt. Jeff Hamilton, and Senior Airman Scott Dowd. In the pilot's seat was Lt. Col. Paul Nevius.

A skilled fixed- and rotary-wing pilot, Colonel Nevius collectively has 22-years of combat-proven aviation experience under his belt. Experience, Captain McDonald said, that the crew had come to rely on in the thick of battlefield operations.

"It was awesome sitting next to Colonel Nevius. My job as the co-pilot was to back him up and to take as many tasks off his shoulders as possible so he could really direct the aircraft. We were on scene and the PJs [pararescuemen] were in the back doing an amazing job. They had the patients in the bird in no time."

The crew's PJs, Staff Sgt. Hamilton and Senior Airman Dowd, repeatedly departed the aircraft under heavy small-arms fire to unload ammunition, triage and load the patients onto the aircraft.

"We knew other strike assets are responding, but the fight is starting to deteriorate," Captain McDonald said.

Once the rescue crew arrived back to base and dropped off their patients, they were almost immediately launched again. The special operations team had sustained another casualty.

Again, with the battle still raging around them, they lead their flight to the wounded commando and provided additional ammo and supplies to the ground forces.

"When we get back to the zone, the fight was still deteriorating. We got the next patient on board and set off for the base. When we arrived, the team on the ground made an urgent request through the chain for more resources for this fight, because it's still not going well."

The crew of Shocker 21 then made the decision to go back into the battlespace. For the third time.

"We loaded the aircraft up, we get back to the zone and we offloaded the supplies to the good guys. We took off, monitoring the situation. Other air support assets had checked in, but they still weren't as effective as they had hoped," he said.

After previous efforts to suppress the enemy proved unsuccessful, the combat control (CCT) Airmen requested emergency support from the Shocker 21 rescue crew. From that point, the captain said, it was a textbook operation.

"We were able to engage the bad guys on the first pass, all fire was on target. That's all we heard from the CCT, 'All fire was on target. Continue to engage.'"

The crew flew a weapons employment pattern six times, maneuvering their aircraft into a position to protect the special forces team while neutralizing multiple enemy fires and forcing the retreat of some 30 insurgents.

"So we effectively suppressed the bad guys," Captain McDonald humbly concluded.

The captain's modest summary does not adequately reflect the crew's contribution to the operation. In the course of providing fire support for the Army team on the ground, the rescue crew had effectively gunned-down eight Taliban fighters, including three high-value targets, and crippled the enemy resistance by removing the Taliban Uruzgan Province command structure.

After their close-air-support efforts were successful, the crew then conducted an unrelated follow-on medical evacuation mission 70 miles away. They assessed their fuel and armament status, picked up the patient and handed him off to the field surgical team.

But they weren't done yet.

"When we get to the zone, the Army had a mound of resupply stuff and asked us to take it to the special forces team. We loaded the airplane up with everything we could, took off and got back to the zone for the fourth time. At that point, they were rearmed, the bad guys were eliminated and they were able to continue with their mission," said Captain McDonald.

The Army Special Forces team dodging bullets on the ground held significant ties to the Airmen.

"We lived with this Green Beret team at FOB Ripley. We were all there at the same camp fire sharing stories about home. We saw these guys everyday. It was personal when they said, 'Hey, we need your help.'"

At the end of the day however, it didn't matter if you were servicemember or a civilian. The motto 'That Other's May Live' is the driving force behind every Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Airman.

"When you consider what we do as a mission, we go into some really hairy situations," said Captain McDonald. "In this situation, we told the Army we're an adverse weather, low-light, low-visibility asset...If the guy's out there, we'll go get him, we've got the little Elvis patch to prove it...and on this night they said, 'Prove It.'"

Orlando, July 10, 2009

Back in the convention hall, the plates have been cleared and a Reserve Officer Association speaker has taken the stage. The presentation has officially begun.

Awards, photos and rounds of applause follow. Recipients swiftly make their way to the front of the room, take and shake, and after a brief camera flash, they blindly make their way back to their seats.

A brief pause indicates the most prestigious award is about to be announced, the Major General Tom E. Marchbanks Jr. Memorial Award. The honor is given annually in recognition of unique abilities and demonstrated courage by Air Force Reserve members during aerial flight.

The narrator makes his way through the award write up, describing the events as they unfolded that July evening in Afghanistan.

When it is time, the captain and the colonel slowly rise from their seats and take their places in front. The audience rises as well, clapping continuously as the photographer angles to capture each moment.

Congratulations follow for some time, individual attendees taking the opportunity to personally convey their sentiments. Eventually the crowd dissipates, allowing the service staff to come in and clear the room out.

The two pilots adjourn as well, making their way to an open concourse in the convention center. Outside of the confines of the banquet room, they take stock of the day's events.

"This award was a huge surprise. Some people don't even know the Air Force flies helicopters. It's great recognition for the CSAR community and it also demonstrates our relevance in this unconventional war," said Captain McDonald.

In the background, a senior gentleman slowly approaches Colonel Nevius. The pair speak for several minutes, sharing a laugh and a hand shake before the gentleman walks away smiling.

The colonel smiled himself, making his way back to the group and the conversation.

While the two pilots were on hand to accept the award, they are quick to give recognition to the entire crew who participated in the mission.

"I couldn't have picked a better team, they brought everything together," said Colonel Nevius. "If you took anyone of those individuals out of the mix, it may have ended up differently."

Since joining the 920th Rescue Wing in 2002, Colonel Nevius has deployed six times. On this day, he spoke candidly about the last eight-month stint.

"It was easily the most rewarding deployment for me because of the mission set," he offered. "What we were doing is not what we typically do. We were getting called on every day. You don't look forward to people getting hurt, but you definitely want to help when they do."

"There's been nothing more rewarding than the CSAR mission," he continued. "This is pulling people out of trouble, and that's where it all happens."

When asked "When will your next deployment be", Colonel Nevius responded immediately. "As soon as possible...you got something for me?"