Nashville, Tenn.- Fifteen legendary Army Aviation heroes were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross at the 2025 AAAA Summit in Nashville, Tenn. on May 15, recognizing their valor during Operation Desert Storm. Their actions on Jan. 17, 1991, as part of Task Force Normandy, marked the beginning of the air campaign, and after 34 years, their heroic efforts were honored with this prestigious award.
Retired Gen. Richard “Dick” Cody, who led the mission as the battalion commander of 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment “Expect No Mercy”, worked tirelessly over the years to secure the upgrade of the originally awarded Air Medals with V device. He was joined by Retired Maj. Gen. Thomas Drew, who was also an aviator on the mission, and Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, the commanding general of the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence and the Aviation branch chief to present the Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Gill highlighted the significance of the event, reflecting on the impact of their service and the importance of recognizing those who set the standard for future generations.
“This is one of those truly significant moments for us, both as an Army and as an Aviation branch,” Gill said. “Every one of us who joins the Army looks to those who came before us. We need to use these example setters as people we should recognize and honor and then replicate the commitment that they made on that night of January 17, 1991.”
Task Force Normandy was comprised of eight Army AH-64 Apache helicopters and four Air Force MH-53J Pave Low helicopters and divided into two teams. They eliminated two Iraqi early warning radar sites 22 minutes before H-hour, disabling Iraqi air defenses and establishing a 20-mile-wide air corridor in the opening minutes of the air campaign. The Apache crews shot 27 Hellfire missiles, hundreds of rockets, and thousands of rounds of 30-mm ammunition during the mission.
The citation reads:
The Distinguished Flying Cross is being awarded for heroism while engaged in combat operations against an enemy of the United States. As AH-64 pilots with the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, Task Force Normandy, these individuals displayed heroic actions during a 15-hour combat mission under night conditions, 90 miles into enemy territory during a cross flot attack on an enemy air defense early warning site in the early morning of 17 January 1991. The eight crews of Task Force Normandy fired the first shots of Desert Storm leading to the destruction of the Iraqi radar and ground control sites and officially kickstarted the allied air campaign. Their outstanding dedication to mission accomplishment is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military, and reflects great credit upon themselves, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the United States Army.
Red Team:
Red 3: Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lewis Hall and Warrant Officer 1 Jerry Orsburn
Red 4: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shawn Hoban and Warrant Officer 1 Tim Vincent
Red 5: Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Miller and Warrant Officer 1 Jody Bridgeforth
Red 6: CPT Newman Shufflebarger and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tim Roderick
White Team:
White 3: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dave Jones and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tip O’Neill
White 4: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ronald Rodriguez and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lee Miller
White 5: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tim Zarnowski and Lt. Tom Drew
White 6: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brian Stewmon and Lt. Col. Dick Cody
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