Photo By Cpl. Ryan Young | Army Spc. Matthew Martinez, a CH-47 Chinook crew chief with B Company, 1st Battalion,...... read more read more
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Nineteen soldiers with B Company, 1st Battalion, 214th Aviation Regiment, stood side-by-side as their commanding officer presented each of them with a Combat Action Badge for their actions while under fire during combat operations in Iraq's Al Anbar province, April 9 and May 10.
The award ceremony was held aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, July 4, as many Americans, an ocean away, celebrated the nation's Independence Day.
"These soldiers experienced the ultimate check on training," explained Army Maj. Guy Bass, the B/1-214 Avn. commanding officer. "When bad things happen to good people, do they revert to what they are trained to do? In this case, the answer is yes, and that is why they are here today to receive this award they have earned."
During a general support mission May 10, 2009, two of the B/1-214 Avn. CH-47 Chinooks and the crew members came under fire, witnessing trails of smoke from rocket fire, as they departed a landing zone. The crew members then witnessed the ordnance detonate near the aircraft.
"I was facing away from the burst, but the flash was bright enough to affect my [night vision goggles]," said Army Sgt. Roy Kauer, a crew chief with B/1-214 Avn.
After the crew landed at another landing zone, which included dropping off and picking up new passengers, they continued their mission back to the landing zone where they had previously come under fire. They were engaged a second time by rocket fire as they prepared to land.
"Going back, we were on a higher alert, but we didn't feel overly threatened — just ready," explained Kauer.
The low visibility at night hindered the gunners and pilots from positively identifying the threat's location, which meant the gunners aboard the Chinook could not return fire.
"We're not here to cause unnecessary damage. We couldn't see them, so we didn't shoot randomly," said Kauer. "We followed our rules and came back safe."
The earlier engagement involved two crews from B/1-214 Avn., flying their Chinooks near a landing zone in Husaybah, Iraq, April 9. There, the crew received small-arms fire, but was unable to identify its origins.
"It was my first time getting shot at," said Army Chief Warrant Officer Jae Park, a pilot with B/1-214 Avn. "I could have easily thought it was just something banging around in the back; it sounded like gravel hitting the aircraft — we were getting shot at."
As the bullets struck the aircraft, the crew informed the other aircraft of the fire, searched the ground for the threat and quickly maneuvered out of the determined hostile area before landing.
"Our crew members acted professionally," explained Army Chief Warrant Officer Scott Salkovics, the pilot in command of the aircraft that received fire. "They sounded calm while they communicated with each other and searched for the enemy as we maneuvered."
One of the crew members came a little too close to the sporadic enemy fire. Army Spc. Matthew Martinez, the CH-47 crew chief of the aircraft with B/1-214 Avn., was positioned as a rear gunner located on the Chinook's aft ramp door when he said he felt a distinct thud on his seat.
"I felt it, but tried not to think about it," said Martinez.
In fact, the round had traveled into the seat Martinez was on and came to rest inside the cushioning. The seat was a modified chair, not an original part of the aircraft, which the rear gunners fasten to the sitting area for comfort.
"It is crazy to think that if I didn't have the seat that day, which I thought about not bringing along, I could have been shot," explained Martinez. "I am thankful for that little extra padding the seat gave me."
Martinez was presented with the round found inside his seat two weeks after the engagement. He received the Combat Action Badge along with 18 other service members during the ceremony.
"It is great to have the recognition, but that is just not what is important," said Martinez. "It is accomplishing our mission here, safely, and going home to see my wife."
| Date Taken: | 07.04.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 07.12.2009 07:32 |
| Story ID: | 36262 |
| Location: | AL ASAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 658 |
| Downloads: | 159 |
This work, Soldiers perform under fire, earn Combat Action Badge, by Cpl Ryan Young, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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