Tuesday, February 04, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

OPERATION ANACONDA: F-16, copter pilots receive Silver Stars

Military recognizes Nellis pair for heroics during Afghanistan fighting

Above, after receiving the Silver Star medal Monday, 1st Lt. Thomas Cahill describes the challenge of flying a Pave Hawk helicopter under enemy fire last year in Afghanistan. His wife, Roxane, left, said she hopes he isn't called into combat again. Photo by John Gurzinski. Maj. Gen. Stephen Wood clips the Silver Star medal on Lt. Col. Burt Bartley's uniform Monday at Nellis Air Force Base. Photo by John Gurzinski.

Saying they were just doing their jobs, a pair of Nellis Air Force Base pilots who risked their lives to recover U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan received one of the nation's highest military honors for their roles in Operation Anaconda.

Lt. Col. Burt Bartley, an F-16 pilot, and 1st Lt. Thomas Cahill, an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter pilot, were each given a Silver Star medal by Maj. Gen. Stephen Wood, commander of the Air Warfare Center.

The Silver Star is the fifth-highest ranking medal among U.S. military awards and decorations.

Bartley, 41, was recognized for his "undaunted courage, unwavering dedication to mission accomplishment and outstanding airmanship in an extreme combat environment (that) led to the recovery of 39 American soldiers" on March 4, according to his citation.

The 39 included 21 survivors, ten wounded and eight who were killed in action.

Gallant efforts on March 3 by Cahill, 33, a pilot with the 66th Rescue Squadron at the time, saved three lives.

His helicopter quickly lost rotor speed because of the heavy load while flying above mountainous terrain as rocket-propelled grenades whisked past the craft.

Cahill "flew his aircraft at 94 percent rotor speed for almost two minutes before he could weave his way out of the terrain," according to his citation.

"If not for his uncanny skills, the aircraft's rotor speed would have continued to decay, resulting in a crash," the citation read.

Both airmen, now assigned to the Weapons School at Nellis, accepted their medals humbly, remembering the eight men who died in March in the snowy mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

That fight claimed the life of Pfc. Matthew Commons, a 21-year-old Army Ranger from Boulder City.

A grenade launcher/gunner, Commons was aboard one of the CH-47 Chinook helicopters that came under heavy ground fire by dug-in al-Qaida forces.

After the awards ceremony, Bartley acknowledged Commons, saying, "He was one of my brothers in arms."

After unleashing a barrage of 20 mm cannon fire from his F-16 to provide cover for survivors of the downed Chinook helicopter -- some 500 rounds in five seconds -- Bartley refueled his plane in the air and returned to conduct a series of bombing runs aimed at advancing enemy forces.

"For 2 1/2 hours, Colonel Bartley, at constant risk to his aircraft and his own life, protected the survivors, ensured two critically injured soldiers were safely airlifted out of the area and provided close air support for troops and cover for rescue helicopters until reinforcements could arrive," his citation reads.

From his cockpit and with assistance from his wingman, Bartley took control of the rescue effort, coordinating with a forward air controller.

At the time, he was commander of the 18th Fighter Squadron "Blue Foxes," assigned to Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. His team of F-16s had replaced a pair of F-15s that had run out of ammunition during the March 4 battle near Marzak in Afghanistan's Patkia Province.

"It was our turn to relieve them," he said after the ceremony, attended by his wife, Debra, and friends and relatives from the Seattle area.

Bartley said all he cared about at the time "were the friendly troops on the ground. ... I was just one part of a team."

Asked about the prospect that the pilots could again be asked to fight in the nation's war against terrorism, Cahill's wife, Roxane, said, "I'm not happy about that, but that's his job."

Cahill said, "My bags are packed all the time. If it's time to go, it's time to go."

In Iraq, which has much lower elevations than Afghanistan, he would have full power to maneuver his aircraft. Afghanistan's elevations of 7,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level hampered his craft's rotor speed.

Although bullets were flying, Cahill said, he had little time to ponder the danger.

"As dark as it was, impacting the terrain was my first enemy," he said.

How did he avoid crashing during that ordeal?

"I would say it was probably luck," Cahill said.