(Via Milinet)
European Stars and Stripes
June 4, 2000
Citations Reveal Heroes Of Kosovo Campaign
By Jon R. Anderson
Not all of the Bronze Star medals awarded to Navy and Air Force
personnel during last year's air campaign were out of harm's
way. Far
from it.
In fact, some of the citations read like a Tom Clancy thriller,
offering intriguing insights into untold stories of the war. In
Albania, for example, Air Force civilian Special Agent Kenneth
J.
Falk was working for the Joint Counterintelligence Office at
Rinas
Airport, which served as home to thousands of Army and Air Force
personnel during the conflict. Falk "spearheaded surveillance
detection operations" against terrorists and "other hostile
forces,"
according to his Bronze Star citation.
"In one specific incident, he gathered critical data indicating
the
imminent assassination attempt of a senior U.S. official, then
facilitated the move of that official into protective custody,
ensuring 24-hour-a-day protective coverage." Among the 185
Bronze
Stars awarded to Air Force troops, four were awarded the "V"
(for
valor) Device to members of search and rescue teams who flew
into
Serbia through hellstorms of gunfire and missiles to rescue
downed
aviators. Staff Sgt. Andrew D. Kubik was one of them.
"An integral part of a three-ship special operations rescue
package,
Sgt. Kubik was responsible for security at the objective,
ground-to-air communications and terminal attack control of
close-air
support aircraft," reads the citation. En route to a downed
F-16CJ
pilot, the team narrowly evaded two SA-6 missiles and one SA-9
missile. "Pressing deeper into Serbia, his flight evaded several
anti-aircraft barrages and was struck and damaged by small-arms
fire
just before reaching the survivor."
As the aircraft touched down, Kubic "was the first to exit the
helicopter into enemy territory" as the team recovered the
pilot.
"When the night erupted into small-arms fire, the rescue team
swiftly
returned to the MH-60G and flew to safety."
Five sailors also were recognized for their heroism, earning the
"V"
Device as well. Among them was Petty Officer 1st Class Floyd
Riggs,
who as an explosives expert was responsible for clearing mines
and
bombs as NATO peacekeepers first rolled into Kosovo.
"Entering war-torn Kosovo, Petty Officer Riggs faced danger with
every footstep while proceeding through a region strewn with
unexploded ordnance and potential booby traps," reads his
citation.
"Disregarding his own safety, Riggs responded to a reported
explosion
and cleared a safe path into an active minefield to aid medical
personnel in the recovery of an injured farmer," along the way
clearing 32 dangerous cluster bombs.
At sea, Navy Capt. David R. Bryant garnered the Bronze Star as
skipper of the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt. "Actions
conducted
under his command comprised the longest period of sustained
carrier
based strike operations since the Vietnam War," reads his
citation.
Bryant was directly responsible for supporting more than 3,000
combat
sorties, "while providing 30 percent of the precision weaponry
used
to bring this conflict to a successful conclusion."
Although aviators cannot receive the Bronze Star for what they
do in
the air - there are Air Medals for that -they can get it for
their
efforts on the ground. Most of those awards went to squadron and
other unit commanders for training and managing their pilots so
well,
but one aviator got a Bronze Star for his "meritorious
achievement"
after ejecting from his F-117 Stealth bomber.
Shortly after Lt. Col. Darrell P. Zelko had delivered a "direct
hit
on a vital node in the Serbian integrated air defense network,
[he]
experienced a severe aircraft malfunction, forcing him to eject
over
hostile territory." Dangling from his parachute, Zelko called in
his
rescue by radio as he floated into the hornet's nest below.
"On the ground, Col. Zelko's exceptional knowledge, outstanding
skill
and raw courage enabled him to evade capture as Serbia forces
moved
ever closer." In the end, Zelko "positioned himself perfectly
and
expertly guided rescue forces to a successful pickup."
--------------------
European Stars and Stripes
June 4, 2000
<bold><bigger>Citations Reveal Heroes Of Kosovo Campaign
</bigger></bold>By Jon R. Anderson
Not all of the Bronze Star medals awarded to Navy and Air Force
personnel during last year's air campaign were out of harm's
way. Far
from it.
In fact, some of the citations read like a Tom Clancy thriller,
offering intriguing insights into untold stories of the war. In
Albania, for example, Air Force civilian Special Agent Kenneth
J. Falk
was working for the Joint Counterintelligence Office at Rinas
Airport,
which served as home to thousands of Army and Air Force
personnel
during the conflict. Falk "spearheaded surveillance detection
operations" against terrorists and "other hostile forces,"
according to
his Bronze Star citation.
"In one specific incident, he gathered critical data indicating
the
imminent assassination attempt of a senior U.S. official, then
facilitated the move of that official into protective custody,
ensuring
24-hour-a-day protective coverage." Among the 185 Bronze Stars
awarded
to Air Force troops, four were awarded the "V" (for valor)
Device to
members of search and rescue teams who flew into Serbia through
hellstorms of gunfire and missiles to rescue downed aviators.
Staff
Sgt. Andrew D. Kubik was one of them.
"An integral part of a three-ship special operations rescue
package,
Sgt. Kubik was responsible for security at the objective,
ground-to-air
communications and terminal attack control of close-air support
aircraft," reads the citation. En route to a downed F-16CJ
pilot, the
team narrowly evaded two SA-6 missiles and one SA-9 missile.
"Pressing
deeper into Serbia, his flight evaded several anti-aircraft
barrages
and was struck and damaged by small-arms fire just before
reaching the
survivor."
As the aircraft touched down, Kubic "was the first to exit the
helicopter into enemy territory" as the team recovered the
pilot. "When
the night erupted into small-arms fire, the rescue team swiftly
returned to the MH-60G and flew to safety."
Five sailors also were recognized for their heroism, earning the
"V"
Device as well. Among them was Petty Officer 1st Class Floyd
Riggs, who
as an explosives expert was responsible for clearing mines and
bombs as
NATO peacekeepers first rolled into Kosovo.
"Entering war-torn Kosovo, Petty Officer Riggs faced danger with
every
footstep while proceeding through a region strewn with
unexploded
ordnance and potential booby traps," reads his citation.
"Disregarding
his own safety, Riggs responded to a reported explosion and
cleared a
safe path into an active minefield to aid medical personnel in
the
recovery of an injured farmer," along the way clearing 32
dangerous
cluster bombs.
At sea, Navy Capt. David R. Bryant garnered the Bronze Star as
skipper
of the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt. "Actions conducted under
his
command comprised the longest period of sustained carrier based
strike
operations since the Vietnam War," reads his citation. Bryant
was
directly responsible for supporting more than 3,000 combat
sorties,
"while providing 30 percent of the precision weaponry used to
bring
this conflict to a successful conclusion."
Although aviators cannot receive the Bronze Star for what they
do in
the air - there are Air Medals for that -they can get it for
their
efforts on the ground. Most of those awards went to squadron and
other
unit commanders for training and managing their pilots so well,
but one
aviator got a Bronze Star for his "meritorious achievement"
after
ejecting from his F-117 Stealth bomber.
Shortly after Lt. Col. Darrell P. Zelko had delivered a "direct
hit on
a vital node in the Serbian integrated air defense network, [he]
experienced a severe aircraft malfunction, forcing him to eject
over
hostile territory." Dangling from his parachute, Zelko called in
his
rescue by radio as he floated into the hornet's nest below.
"On the ground, Col. Zelko's exceptional knowledge, outstanding
skill
and raw courage enabled him to evade capture as Serbia forces
moved
ever closer." In the end, Zelko "positioned himself perfectly
and
expertly guided rescue forces to a successful pickup."
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