Toro Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 Probably a long shot, but I'm looking for anybody who flew with an A-10 guy around 2003 who goes by "Donk". While putting together a farewell ceremony for him, a bunch of us found out he got a Silver Star on a combat mission in Iraq in '03 for putting his ass on the line and saving a bunch of guys on the ground. He's the type who would never talk (brag) about it, but we got a copy of the official decoration. Now we're looking for anybody who may have a first (or even second) hand story of what happened. If anybody can help out, please PM me.
Fud Posted January 19, 2011 Posted January 19, 2011 Probably a long shot, but I'm looking for anybody who flew with an A-10 guy around 2003 who goes by "Donk". While putting together a farewell ceremony for him, a bunch of us found out he got a Silver Star on a combat mission in Iraq in '03 for putting his ass on the line and saving a bunch of guys on the ground. He's the type who would never talk (brag) about it, but we got a copy of the official decoration. Now we're looking for anybody who may have a first (or even second) hand story of what happened. If anybody can help out, please PM me. Did he never get the decoration? Or was this just the citation after the fact?
Toro Posted January 20, 2011 Author Posted January 20, 2011 Did he never get the decoration? Or was this just the citation after the fact? He did get the decoration. The reason we're looking for somebody with more background knowledge of what happened is that, since he will never boast about his accomplishments, we're going to do it for him. For his farewell here, we want to be able to put into perspective what a warrior he is by telling the details of what he did to earn that. We got a copy of the official citation, but being able to recount the story from somebody who can provide a first (or second) person perspective is much more effective. In an Air Force that continues to devalue the warrior ethos, he is an example of what Air Force warrior and leader should be, and we want to highlight his actions to drive that point home. 3
BFM this Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 In an Air Force that continues to devalue the warrior ethos, he is an example of what Air Force warrior and leader should be, and we want to highlight his actions to drive that point home. Quoted for truth. 1
Fud Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 (edited) Toro, Glad to hear that was the reason. I figured somebody just forgot to give him the citation. Good stuff! Just found this link with his citation and picture. I'll bet the story behind the citation is even better. https://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=50052 Edited January 20, 2011 by Fud
ol-IEWO Posted January 20, 2011 Posted January 20, 2011 "using the same attack heading to protect friendlies, repeatedly attacked the battalion sized armor element dug in on the east side of the Tigris River bridge. For 33 minutes, he and his wingman braved the ever-increasing hailstorm of anti-aircraft fire" That says a lot about the A-10's survivability or his and his wingman's luck or maybe both. Still, it takes balls to do it. Well done, sir.
pittsdriver Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Great story, before the days where reflective belts, cbts, and civilian pt testers ruined the air force.
BQZip01 Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 Toro, you could checks with your SARMS troops and see if they can look back & see who his wingman/wingmen were during that period.
I don't exist Posted January 21, 2011 Posted January 21, 2011 IIRC, Donk was the commander of the 75th at the time. One of his Lts, 'Coke' Blocher, was the BALO (Advance 33) on the ground providing terminal attack clearance. I last saw Coke as an IFF instructor at Sheppard in 2006. Coke told us the story and showed us the video one night in the bar. I don't know where Coke is now, but he would be the best person to tell the story.
Toro Posted January 21, 2011 Author Posted January 21, 2011 Hoss - if you can find more videos, that would be awesome. To everyone else who PM'd me - many thanks - I am in contact with both the wingman and the BALO. I hope to hope the story from both the air and the ground perspective. If I can do justice to the story, I'll put a collaborative version up here when I've got all the info.
ClearedHot Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 A couple of Air Force guys minus the everyday queep hanging it out to do the right thing...Fucking Standard.
Guest Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 A couple of Air Force guys minus the everyday queep hanging it out to so the right thing...Fucking Standard. Best job in the world.
Champ Kind Posted January 22, 2011 Posted January 22, 2011 Best job in the world. This video is awesome in that it shows the effects you guys have for the dudes on the ground when they radio that feedback. You can hear that the wingman is just chomping at the bit the whole time, too. Talk about "warriors"..... Hawg guys have always had my utmost respect and this short video shows why.
SocialD Posted January 23, 2011 Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) I challenge anyone to argue convincingly that any other airplane on earth could do as well in the same scenario. Reopen the production line!!!! GET SOME!!! Edited January 23, 2011 by SocialD
SocialD Posted January 23, 2011 Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) dude...I would give anything to fly an A-1. Same here. That said,....that gun ain't gettin' through armor. Valid! Ya, I fully agree with your challenge. I just thought this was a great time to insert a plane as bada$$ as the Skyraider! It scares me that people (ie...leadership/politicians) think the 35 is going to take over the mission of the A-10! That thing won't take anywhere near the BD that the Hog can... Edited January 23, 2011 by SocialD
Vetter Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 ATTACK! I saw Donk punch an LT in the chest at a Roll Call. He's a bona fide badass!
Toro Posted February 18, 2012 Author Posted February 18, 2012 I just realized that after I tracked this info down and was able to put on a pretty bad-ass presentation for Donk last year, I never brought it back to the forum. We merged the narrative (below) with the citation (link on first page) and threw in the video Hoss provided along with some pictures of Donk (to include his gear in the AF museum). Most importantly, it drove home the point we were trying to make to the folks who had been working for him. This is the script for the speech that Donk and Coke (the BALO) gave after they were awarded the Silver Star. Thanks to everybody here who helped make this happen. ---------------------------- ADVANCE 33/DEMOB 71 NARRATIVE Sequence of Events: Coke: On 6 April 2003, Task Force 2-69 Armor began its attack into northwest Baghdad. Starting early that morning over 200 kilometers from our objective, we pressed north, becoming the spearhead for the 3rd Infantry Division. 40 kilometers from our objective we made contact with the enemy, taking sporadic, but accurate, artillery, RPG, and small arms fire. Fighting a running battle through the outskirts of Baghdad, we finally reached and set up hasty defensive positions in order to secure our final objective, a bridge crossing the Tigris River. We now represented V Corp’s northernmost push into Iraq, and sat square in the enemy’s backyard. Coke: We had been on the move for over 10 hours. We were waiting for our supply trains to move forward so we could refit with fuel and ammo-both of which we were very short of. Aware of our vulnerability, and based on the horrible visibility across the Tigris, I submitted a 1972-a request for Close Air Support-to recon the far side of the river. I was immediately passed contact information for Demob 71 flight, 2 x A-10s, and when they checked in, authentication was easy as I recognized the voice of my squadron DO. Coke: A little excited with the prospect of working with Lt Col Strasburger, I passed an AO update, a 9-Line Brief, and a “map” talk-on of the AO. Within minutes of our first radio contact, the Alpha company commander, our most-forward element on the western approach to the bridge, called me on Fox Mike, “Can I get some CAS in here, we’re taking heavy AT rounds from across the bridge and I can’t see them to shoot back”. Pinned down, taking direct fire, low on fuel and ammo, and unable to find the main element of the enemy force due to the poor visibility, the battalion was in dire straights. I jumped on the radio and told Demob: “We are taking heavy fire, and we need you in here now!” Donk: Demob 71 flight had launched on their second sortie of the day from Tallil AB, Iraq. I was the Flight Lead, and Captain Greg “Billy Bob” Thornton was my combat pair. Upon check-in with the ASOC, we were directed to contact a Ground Forward Air Controller (GFAC), C/S Advance 33, in the northern part of Baghdad. Upon check-in, we discovered that it was 1 Lt John “Coke” Blocher, one of our own Lieutenant BALOs. Donk: The situation on the ground appeared static at first, but when “Coke” made the call for help, Billy Bob and I knew that the situation was rapidly deteriorating. We immediately initiated a descent west of the target area, and determined that the weather was 4,000-foot ceilings with a mile to a mile and a half visibility. We continued toward the target area, and I briefed low-altitude tactics due to the weather. Donk: Unable to maintain continuous sight of each other, we used an altitude stack and a Target Engagement Zone (TEZ) to maintain positive deconfliction and mutual support. Coke: I briefed that the friendlies were on the west side of a bridge over the Tigris River, and were taking heavy fire from the east. I also restricted Demob’s attack axis from south to north or north to south in order to parallel the friendly position. Donk: The extremely poor visibility made a “hot” first-run attack impractical due the risk of fratricide. I also inquired about US Marine Corps forces on the east side of the Tigris River and Coke confirmed they were no factor. Donk: With Billy Bob maintaining cover to the west, I initiated the first pass into the target area. The goal of the first pass was to positively identify both the enemy and the friendly positions prior to expending any ordnance. I executed a low altitude ingress using the Tigris River as a lead-in feature to acquire the target area. While inbound to the target, I observed light to medium AAA firing on the flight. I visually acquired the bridge at a mile and a half, and attempted to mark the enemy force on the eastern bridge abutment with “Willy Pete” rockets; unfortunately, they hung. As I pulled off that pass, I dispensed a series of self-protection flares to “mark” the target area. Coke: I immediately confirmed that Demob had identified the correct target area with his “mark.” Donk: As a result of the reconnaissance pass, I determined that the separation between friendly and enemy forces was in fact 400 meters as opposed to 1.5 kilometers as briefed during the 9-Line. Donk: During the egress off the recce pass, I observed light to medium AAA firing on the flight. I initiated an immediate re-attack. Again, using the river as my primary reference, I attacked with the gun from south to north, strafing enemy positions under the bridge, and the lead enemy vehicle. Coke: I confirmed good hits on the targets under the bridge, but could not verify BDA on the vehicle due to poor visibility. Donk: I cleared to the west in order to provide my wingman with mutual support. Billy Bob executed his first attack and strafed a T-72 tank 500 meters from the friendly position with good secondaries observed. Donk: At this stage, it was getting pretty busy, but I felt as if things were going well and we were making a difference for “Coke” and his unit. That’s when I noticed my HUD had failed, and the only aiming reference I had was the Standby pipper. I reverted to my old-school training, used the Standby pipper, and continued to press the attack. Donk: Over the next 12 minutes, with the concentration of AAA firing on the flight increasing, we made 4 additional gun attacks, engaging tanks, BMPs, and utility vehicles from the east end of the bridge to a traffic circle 500 meters to the east. We observed multiple secondaries, and Coke indicated that the intense firing on the friendlies had begun to drop off. Donk: Now, with the situation stabilized, and “Coke” confident we had high SA, we adjusted our attack axis to ingress from northwest, “over-the-shoulder’ of the friendlies. Despite the heavy volume of AAA, we executed 3 more gun and maverick attacks, targeting BMPs, utility vehicles, AAA pits, and two small buildings from which the friendlies were taking fire. The attacks were effective, with multiple secondaries observed. Donk: As we egressed the immediate target area due to gas, “Coke” said: Coke: “You guys really took the heat off of us. We are not taking anymore fire from the enemy positions – we’ve got a very satisfied battalion commander down here.” Coke: Following this 33-minute engagement, the enemy completely broke contact from across the bridge, and the only enemy action for the remainder of the night was ineffective small arms and RPG harassment fire. Finally, 7 and a half hours later, we were re-supplied with fuel and ammo. I characterize this engagement as the “most serious” Task Force 2-69 Armor encountered during the entire war, and in this case, airpower turned the tide of the battle. 7
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