by Oregon National Guard
3/25/2014 - CLACKAMAS, Ore. -- The
Oregon Air National Guard honored a group of Airmen with the 125th
Special Tactics Squadron with a Silver Star and Bronze Star medals,
during a ceremony Monday.
Attending were Lt. Gen. Eric E. Fiel, commander, Air Force Special
Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clarke
III, director, Air National Guard, the Pentagon and Maj. Gen. Daniel R.
Hokanson, adjutant general of Oregon.
The Airmen recognized were Tech. Sgt. Doug Matthews with the Silver
Star; Staff Sgt. Matthew Matlock with the Bronze Star Medal with Valor
and second Oak Leaf Cluster; Staff Sgt. Christopher Jones with the
Bronze Star with Valor and first Oak Leaf Cluster; and Tech. Sgt. George
Thompson with the Bronze Star.
"The 125th STS has a proud history of displaying valor and heroism in
combat," said Maj. TJ Awada, commander of the 125th STS. "The actions of
Sergeants Matthews, Jones, Matlock, and Thompson are in keeping with
the highest traditions of this squadron and the Oregon National Guard.
On Nov. 27, 2012, the vehicle Matthews was riding in struck an
improvised explosive device, triggering a coordinated ambush near
Jalrez, Wardak Province in Afghanistan. Despite being ejected from the
vehicle, and sustaining head injuries and multiple lacerations, he
immediately came to his feet and faced small-arms fire from 12 different
enemy fighting positions, some as close as 30 meters.
Although seriously wounded, Matthews returned fire and made his way back
to the overturned vehicle to aid his wounded teammates. He located his
team leader, who was ejected from the vehicle and seriously wounded, and
moved him to safety while continuing to exchange fire with the enemy.
As his Special Forces teammates regrouped, Matthews coordinated close
air support and medical evacuation for the wounded. Despite being
exposed to enemy fire, he continued to direct close air support, which
eventually repelled the enemy.
"His heroism under fire while directing close air support allowed
friendly forces to recover all personnel with no loss of life and
maneuver out of the ambush's kill zone. Sergeant Matthews' actions
undoubtedly saved the lives of his wounded teammates and an Afghan
interpreter," the award citation reads.
On Oct. 6, 2012, Matlock's team began receiving intense enemy fire while
conducting a patrol in Arabon Valley, Wardak Province, Afghanistan.
Matlock dove into a nearby irrigation ditch and returned fire while
coordinating air support to suppress the enemy fire pinning down his
team. He crawled to a vantage point where he determined that two Special
Forces and two Afghan partner force soldiers were severely wounded.
Matlock soon realized that his team leader was also injured. With
complete disregard for his own safety, Matlock jumped to his feet and
ran to the aid of his teammates. He rendered first aid while
coordinating medical evacuation flights and close air support. As
medical evacuation helicopters arrived, he carried one of his injured
comrades to safety while under enemy fire.
On Oct. 8, 2012, Jones served as the primary joint terminal attack
controller assigned to an Army Special Forces Team conducting a tactical
ground movement in Paktiya Province, Afghanistan. The team's lead
vehicle struck an improvised explosive device, triggering a coordinated
ambush. Jones immediately returned fire while coordinating close air
support aircraft overhead. After the initial volley of enemy fire, Jones
exited his vehicle and rushed to the command element, which was pinned
down by enemy fire. As he made his way to the front of the convoy, Jones
continued to engage the enemy and provide air support. While
coordinating airstrikes, Jones lost line of sight communications with
the aerial support. Without regard for his personal safety, Jones
immediately moved to an exposed position in order to regain
communications and continue aerial coordination to repel the enemy
assault.
Between Jan. 15 and April 15, 2011, Thompson served as a joint terminal
attack controller attached to an Army Special Forces team, conducting
more than 35 combat patrols in the rugged terrain of Kandahar Province,
Afghanistan. During one mission, insurgents ambushed his team with
machine gun and small arms fire. Thompson returned fire, enabling the
team to reach cover. He quickly relayed the location of two insurgents
he identified, enabling Afghanistan Local Police to defeat both
insurgents. Also, during a separate patrol, his team came under heavy
small arms fire from insurgents. Thompson returned fire, re-supplied the
M-249 machine gunner, and directed mortar fire. He then controlled
fixed-wing air support, initiating an enemy withdrawal. Throughout the
deployment, Thompson controlled 34 aircraft during multiple
life-threatening missions.
The 125th STS was officially established on May 1, 2005, and is
headquartered at the Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Ore.
The 125th Special Tactics Squadron has 79 members made up of Combat
Controllers (CCT), Special Operations Weathermen (SOWT), and numerous
support positions. Members of the unit undergo a rigorous two-year
training program where they graduate as combat divers, military
free-fall and static-line parachutists and are trained to operate in any
environment in the world.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
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