http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/04/air-force-cross-special-tactics-airman-crawford-041612/
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz will present the Air Force Cross to Capt. Barry Crawford Jr. on April 12 at the Pentagon.
Crawford will receive the service’s second highest award for valor in combat for his actions during a 10-hour firefight near Laghman Province, Afghanistan, on May 4, 2010.
At the time, Crawford was a special tactics officer attached to Army Special Forces Detachment Alpha and their Afghan partner force. After conducting a helicopter assault that day, Crawford received reports that multiple groups of enemy fighters were staking out positions nearby. The assault force was attacked by more than 100 enemy fighters, killing two Afghan soldiers and wounding three others.
Crawford ran out into the open to guide a helicopter to its landing zone, to enable the safe evacuation of the casualties. Crawford remained out in the open despite having one of his radio antennas blown off. He moved across open terrain with minimal cover to call in AH-64 strafe attacks to hold off enemy fighters while the casualties were evacuated.
The team then moved over 1.5 kilometers of steep terrain with minimal cover. Crawford called in more help from the AH-64s, and also F-15Es, in an air-to-ground attack that included strafing runs and 500- and 2,000-pound bomb and Hellfire missile strikes. His actions saved the lives of many U.S. and Afghan troops, according to the citation.
“Throughout the course of the ten hour firefight, Captain Crawford braved effective enemy fire and consciously placed himself at grave risk on four occasions while controlling over 33 aircraft and more than 40 airstrikes on a well-trained and well-prepared enemy force,” the citation says. “His selfless actions and expert airpower employment neutralized a numerically superior enemy force and enabled friendly elements to exfiltrate the area without massive casualties.”
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz will present the Air Force Cross to Capt. Barry Crawford Jr. on April 12 at the Pentagon.
Crawford will receive the service’s second highest award for valor in combat for his actions during a 10-hour firefight near Laghman Province, Afghanistan, on May 4, 2010.
At the time, Crawford was a special tactics officer attached to Army Special Forces Detachment Alpha and their Afghan partner force. After conducting a helicopter assault that day, Crawford received reports that multiple groups of enemy fighters were staking out positions nearby. The assault force was attacked by more than 100 enemy fighters, killing two Afghan soldiers and wounding three others.
Crawford ran out into the open to guide a helicopter to its landing zone, to enable the safe evacuation of the casualties. Crawford remained out in the open despite having one of his radio antennas blown off. He moved across open terrain with minimal cover to call in AH-64 strafe attacks to hold off enemy fighters while the casualties were evacuated.
The team then moved over 1.5 kilometers of steep terrain with minimal cover. Crawford called in more help from the AH-64s, and also F-15Es, in an air-to-ground attack that included strafing runs and 500- and 2,000-pound bomb and Hellfire missile strikes. His actions saved the lives of many U.S. and Afghan troops, according to the citation.
“Throughout the course of the ten hour firefight, Captain Crawford braved effective enemy fire and consciously placed himself at grave risk on four occasions while controlling over 33 aircraft and more than 40 airstrikes on a well-trained and well-prepared enemy force,” the citation says. “His selfless actions and expert airpower employment neutralized a numerically superior enemy force and enabled friendly elements to exfiltrate the area without massive casualties.”
