![]() ![]() Over a decade before the events that would be described in the book and movie Lone Survivor, Richard Balwanz faced the same situation Michael Murphy did. Shortly after they infiltrated, they were discovered by civilians. According to his citation, the successful strike “severely reduced” the ability of Saddam’s regime to produce replacement artillery pieces. Wenzel pressed his attack despite heavy fire from enemy surface-to-air missiles, putting his bombs on the Habbiniyah artillery mission. Task Force Normandy succeeded, and the Coalition lost only one aircraft on the opening night.Īt the time, Wenzel was a major, and took part in a massive strike on Jan. It was a very high-stakes mission – if Cody failed, Saddam’s regime would have plenty of time to give Coalition pilots warning. Then a lieutenant colonel commanding an attack helicopter battalion, Richard Cody drew the tough task of leading Task Force Normandy to forcibly open a gap in Iraqi radar coverage. The pilot of an AH-64 Apache helicopter from the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade fires AGM-114 Hellfire missiles during the combined arms live fire training exercise for Saber Strike 16 at the Estonian Defense Forces central training area near Tapa, Estonia on June 20, 2016. (Minnesota National Guard photo by Tech. Despite his injuries, Andrews chose to remain in the open and warned fellow pilots of threats until he was captured by Saddam Hussein’s forces.Īward to upgrade: Distinguished Flying Cross 27, 1991. After ejecting from his damaged F-16, Andrews was injured upon landing. The other medal warranting an upgrade should be the Air Force Cross for his actions on Feb. 23, 1991, looks like it should be upgraded – Andrews pressed his attack through heavy fire to put ordnance on the target. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon Block 30 aircraft from the 80th Fighter Squadron fly in formation over South Korea during a training mission on Jan. ![]() Two of them were the Distinguished Flying Cross, one was the Air Force Cross. Then a captain flying the F-16, Andrews received three awards for valor during Desert Storm. Without further ado, here are six people whose awards may warrant an upgrade:Īwards to upgrade: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Cross During that conflict, no Medals of Honor or Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded, but there were two Navy Crosses and two Air Force Crosses. With some recent upgrades to medals for heroism during the War on Terror, perhaps it is time to take a closer look at some awards from Desert Storm.
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