[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 88 (Thursday, June 27, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6244-S6245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HEROES OF OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM

 Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I am pleased to insert in the 
Record the heroic accounts of the 354th Wing and 18th Fighter Squadron 
at Eielson Air Force Base in Anchorage, AK, for the vital role they 
played in Operation Enduring Freedom.
  The accounts that follow describe the daring mission of three pilots 
who were involved in a difficult rescue operation. Both Alaska, and the 
Nation, appreciate and honor their heroism that helped to save lives. 
I, along with my fellow colleagues, am extremely proud of our men and 
women who are at this very moment, much like the 354th Wing and 18th 
Fighter Squadron were doing, defending freedom and democracy around the 
world.
  Today we are a nation at war. A war against the evil of terrorism. 
Make no mistake, there are evil people in this world. There are people 
whose sole purpose on this earth is to harm and kill innocent people. 
Let us not forget what happened in our country just a short time ago. 
America's freedom, our freedom, the freedom of this Chamber and of 
millions of people all over the world, are protected by the men and 
women who serve in the armed forces.
  It is with utmost respect and appreciation that I share the heroic 
events that took place during Operation Enduring Freedom. But before I 
do, let me personally comment on why lives were saved based upon the 
acts of three fine soldiers. It all comes down to training. Our 
military has an extraordinary ability to prepare our soldiers for 
battle. Our soldiers are the best in the world. I commend the armed 
forces for preparing our soldiers for battle and for bringing them home 
safely. It is no coincidence that our soldiers, who face grave and dire 
situations, prevail.
  Thirty nine lives were saved because of the actions of Lieutenant 
Colonel Burt A. Bartley, Captain James R. Sears, Jr. and Captain Andrew 
J. Lipina. The tale of this mission surely seems unreal. A MH-47 
helicopter was shot out of the sky. The enemy was fast closing on the 
downed helicopter where 10 injured soldiers were in need of immediate 
medical attention. Time was of the essence. Instantly, a rescue 
operation was put into motion. And this was no simple rescue.
  When the enemy is armed and looking to kill, it is imperative that 
all available resources are put to their maximum utilization. After all 
available artillery were depleted, a 500 pound bomb was dropped within 
100 meters of the crash site, creating a barrier between the wounded 
soldiers and the advancing enemy. 100 meters, the length of a football 
field. This allowed the rescue operation to be successfully carried 
out. As you will read, this was America at its best. I applaud the 
heroism and bravery of all those involved in this daring rescue.
  I ask that the summary of the heroic actions of the 354th Wing and 
18th Fighter Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, be printed in the 
Record.
  The material follows:

 Citation to Accompany the Award of the Silver Star to Burt A. Bartley

       Lieutenant Colonel Burt A. Bartley distinguished himself by 
     heroism and courageous action as F-16CG flight lead, 18 
     Fighter Squadron, in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. 
     Upon learning of a downed MH-47 helicopter, Lieutenant 
     Colonel Bartley departed assigned airspace to immediately 
     support the recovery of thirty-nine personnel on board. 
     Enroute to the site, Lieutenant Colonel Bartley established 
     deconfliction with two Unnammed Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and two 
     F-15Es near the crash site to provide maximum support to the 
     rescue effort. With the F-15Es out of ammunition, Lieutenant 
     Colonel Bartley immediately employed 20mm cannon fire to 
     neutralize the enemy troops that were directly firing upon 
     the survivors. He made two strafing runs with little regard 
     for his own safety into rapidly rising mountaineous terrain, 
     and directly in the face of the same small arms fire that 
     downed the helicopter. He then provided a rapid talk-on to 
     his wingman, who was experiencing radio problems, to suppress 
     the advancing enemy troops. His skill and determination 
     forced the enemy troops to stop the attack on the downed 
     helicopter crew and friendly forces and concentrate on 
     digging in for cover approximately 50 meters from the crashed 
     MH-47. After expending all 500 rounds of 20mm ammunition he 
     stayed with the Ground Forward Air Controller (GFAC) on the 
     radio while his wingman passed all critical information to 
     command and control assets and located the tanker. His 
     actions resulted in the flight's ability to maintain 
     continuous contact with the GFAC and continue to threaten the 
     advancing enemy forces for over two and a half hours. Upon 
     returning to the crash site, the GFAC reported that the 
     previously pinned down enemy had begun to close in on their 
     position again. After his wingman had verified from command 
     and control that no other airborne assets had 20mm or light 
     ordnance, Lieutenant Colonel Bartley informed the GFAC of the 
     impending danger and at the GFAC's request dropped 500 pound 
     bombs within 100 meters of the crash site in order to keep 
     the enemy forces at bay. Meanwhile, a second GFAC reported 
     two more critically wounded soldiers requiring immediate 
     evacuation. Lieutenant Colonel Bartley pinned down the enemy, 
     and directed his wingman to coordinate for the air 
     evacuation. He offered to escort the helicopters through the 
     area with numerous small arms threats and Rocket Propelled 
     Grenards. His quick thinking and superior coordination 
     allowed friendly forces to maintain a secure location in 
     extremely close proxmity to the impact points and undoubtedly 
     saved the lives of 21 uninjured survivors and 10 wounded in 
     the crash site, and enabled the safe recovery of all 39 
     Americans. The undaunted leadership, extreme heroism and 
     courageous actions of Lieutenant Colonel Bartley are 
     consistent with the highest traditions of the United States 
     Air Force.
                                  ____


         Andrew J. Lipina: Distinguished Flying Cross Narrative

       Captain Andrew J. Lipina distinguished himself by 
     extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action as F-16CG 
     fighter pilot, 18th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, in 
     support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. During the third day 
     of Operation ANACONDA, Captain Lipina learned of a downed MH-
     47 helicopter with the survivors actively taking fire, and 
     departed assigned airspace to immediately support the 
     recovery effort. Thirty-nine personnel were on board when a 
     Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack disabled their 
     aircraft. Enroute to the site Captain Lipina quickly took 
     control of external communication and coordinated with 
     command and control assets to relocate air refueling tanker 
     assets to support the rescue effort. He further deconflicted 
     with two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and two F-15Es near 
     the crash site. His formation quickly coordinated with the 
     Ground Forward Air Controller (GFAC) to establish situational 
     awareness. With the F-15E out of ammunition, Captain Lipina 
     immediately employed 20mm cannon fire to neutralize the enemy 
     troops that were directly firing upon the survivors from 
     within 100 meters. He made two strafing runs, each closer to 
     the crash site than the previous, with little regard for his 
     own safety in order to help protect them from being overrun. 
     These strafing passes were not only into rapidly rising 
     mountainous terrain, but also directly in the face of the 
     same small arms that downed the helicopter. His skill and 
     determination forced the enemy troops to stop the attack on 
     the downed helicopter crew and friendly forces and 
     concentrate on digging in under the cover of a tree located 
     approximately 50 meters from the crashed MH-47. After 
     expending all 500 rounds of 20mm ammunition he coordinated 
     with command and control assets to inform them of the 
     disposition of friendly casualties and the location of their 
     tanker. With their assigned tanker experiencing a air-
     refueling malfunction, Captain Lipina rapidly pointed the 
     formation to the next closest tanker and masterfully 
     coordinated to move it toward the crash site. Upon returning 
     to the crash site from air refueling, the GFAC reported that 
     the previously

[[Page S6245]]

     pinned down enemy had begun to close in on their position 
     again. His actions resulted in the flight's ability to 
     maintain continuous contact with the GFAC and continue to 
     threaten the advancing enemy forces for over two and a half 
     hours. After he had verified from command and control that no 
     other airborne assets had 20mm or light ordnance, Captain 
     Lipina's flight lead dropped 500 pound bombs within 100 
     meters of the crash site in order to keep the enemy forces at 
     bay. Captain Lipina expertly sanitized the area for MANPADS 
     and anti-aircraft artillery in the hostile and hazardous 
     region of the downed helicopter. This was extremely important 
     since a previous flight has been engaged by MANPADS. 
     Meanwhile a second GFAC reported two critically wounded 
     soldiers requiring immediate air evacuation. While his lead 
     continued to work on pinning down the enemy, Captain Lipina 
     began to coordinate for the air evacuation and offered his 
     remaining bombs to escort the rescue helicopters through an 
     area with numerous small arms and RPG threats. Additionally, 
     he coordinated for other assets to move into position to 
     support the survivors on the ground. The undaunted courage 
     and heroism of Captain Lipina undoubtely saved the lives of 
     21 uninjured survivors and 10 wounded in the crash site and 
     enabled the safe recovery of all 39 Americans.

        James R. Sears Jr.: Distinguished Flying Cross Narrative

       Captain James R. Sears Jr. distinguished himself by heroism 
     and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial 
     flight as F-16CG flight lead, 18th Expeditionary Fighter 
     Squadron on 20 January 2002. Captain Sears distinguished 
     himself as On Scene Commander for a downed CH-53 in a heavily 
     defended area of Taliban control in Northern Afghanistan 
     during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. During the Combat Search 
     and Rescue he organized, directed, and controlled a total of 
     13 aircraft including three Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, five 
     helicopters, one C-130, two F-16s, and two F-18s. He rapidly 
     developed a deconfliction plan that ensured the safety of all 
     assets and allowed them to operate within a five nautical 
     mile radius of the downed helicopter.
       After receiving the initial coordinates of the crash site 
     he realized they were over one nautical mile off the actual 
     location in heavily mountainous terrain. After a diligent, 
     methodical search of the area, Captain Sears was able to get 
     his eyes on the site, provide a perfect talk-on for his 
     wingman, and direct the other support assets to the crash 
     site. Using on-board sensors, Captain Sears was quickly able 
     to pass updated coordinates to the thousandth of a degree to 
     command and control agencies without compromising the safety 
     of the entire rescue operation. He expertly sanitized the 60 
     nautical mile ingress and egress route through enemy 
     territory.
       Captain Sears then executed the demanding task of rescue 
     escort for two helicopters. This involved maintaining visual 
     contact and constant coverage while flying over 300 knots 
     faster and being 15,000 feet higher than the helicopters. 
     Captain Sears, in conjunction with command and control 
     assets, coordinated a plan to move three separate tankers 
     close enough to the crash site to ensure constant command for 
     the entire time on scene. Captain Sears' flawless flight 
     leadership allowed him to intercept and visually identify a 
     Red Cross aircraft flying in the vicinity of the downed 
     helicopter, not identifiable by electronic means or talking 
     to command and control assets, ensuring the safety of the 
     entire rescue effort. Captain Sears passed off On Scene 
     Commander duties to two United States Navy F-18s after 4.5 
     hours on scene. Captain Sears' tireless efforts and 
     tremendous focus was unprecedented considering in his single-
     seat F-16 he flew more than 3500 miles, logged 11.1 hours, 
     and ten air refuelings requiring more than 120,000 pounds of 
     fuel to be onloaded through hostile territory. Captain Sears' 
     courage, superior airmanship, and unwavering devotion to duty 
     in the face of personal danger were instrumental in 
     accomplishing this hazardous mission and were in keeping with 
     the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force.

                          ____________________