Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Wade Fox received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Thursday in the Sparkman Center's Bob Jones Auditorium from AMCOM's Maj. Gen. Doug Gabram.
The Army Material Command's Gen. Gustave Perna, along with Soldiers and civilians of the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space, where Fox now works joined in the recognition.
"This is truly an honor and a distinct pleasure to award this medal to a great hero," Gabram said.
Gabram gave credit to Fox's company commander, Capt. Jason Smith, for ensuring that Fox received the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroic actions he took on March 31, 2003, near Al Hillah, Iraq, while the pilot-in-command of an AH-64A Apache.
The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to an officer or enlisted servicemember who distinguishes himself in support of operations by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.
Describing it as a powerful event, Gabram outlined the actions of March 31, 2003, presenting photos of the Apache that Fox piloted. One photo showed the rack where a Hellfire missile had been detonated by small arms fire. Another photo showed a lengthy tear caused by a rocket propelled grenade.
Fox and his co-pilot were part of Charlie Co., Third Battalion, 101st Airborne Division stationed 100 miles south of Baghdad near Al Hillah, Iraq. They were called on to provide reconnaissance and surveillance for the 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division ground troops. Fox was in Charlie Company's dual aircraft Team 3.
"Team one launched and came into heavy contact," Gabram said. "They first heard that there was aircraft down. Then, they heard that a pilot was injured. Team 2 and 3 got together and launched early."
Fox and his co-pilot flew in faster than expected and came under heavy contact as they worked to provide protection for an infantry battalion.
"Things became very confusing and he took fire. When you look at these pictures and see this kind of fire … This is very rare," Gabram said, referring to the slides. "But this is our job. This is what we're supposed to do. We have a sacred bond and trust to support the kids on the ground, and Wade did that without a lot of regard for his own safety.
"How do you react? Your skill takes over. There are emergency procedures you are supposed to execute," Gabram said. "But, Wade still had both engines at 80 percent and he could fly the aircraft. The skill involved in this, and the calmness and professional demeanor are really unbelievable."
The amazing part of the story, Gabram said, is that Fox and his co-pilot didn't take their aircraft back to base.
"They did an aerial triage and stayed on station about an hour," he said. "Why? To support those young kids on the ground. They will stay even when it gets bad. Why stay? The presence of an AH-64 Apache scares the hell out of the enemy. In all this confusion, he stays on station to provide support to ground forces."
During their time in support, they could see the white flags of surrender while at the same time they were still taking fire
"What do you do? Anyone can pull the trigger in this fight. The hard part is knowing when should you pull the trigger," Gabram said. "He didn't shoot because that was the right thing to do morally."
Fox, a 25-year veteran, thanked all those who attended the ceremony, including the Army's acquisition and engineering members, who designed and purchased the equipment that kept him and his co-pilot alive and still viable even after two attacks.
Concerning the small arms fire that hit the Hellfire missile, Ward said, "We actually had a small detonation, which neutralized everything. The guys who designed it that way are the reason I'm here."
The Apache continued to fly even after its "structural integrity was really compromised. It was designed and built and equipped to do exactly what it did. The way it is designed and built is the reason I'm here today," Fox said.
Fox thanked his instructor pilots, the maintenance test pilot course instructors and the simulator operators at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
"They ingrained in us a very deep level of knowledge, and the understanding of the systems," he said. "Because of that knowledge, I was able to determine we could still fly and we did."
When he returned from his deployment, Fox went straight to those instructors and thanked them for what they taught him.
"I thanked the simulator operators; I did it in a simulator before I did it in real life," he said.
Lastly, Fox thanked his father, who passed away five years ago on the day of the ceremony.
Social Sharing