Pilots earn Distinguished Flying Cross for efforts
For their bravery and skill in flying the first strike in the Iraq war, Maj. Mark Hoehn and Lt. Col. David Toomey were presented with the Distinguished Flying Cross by the U.S. Air Force. The medal is given to any officer or enlisted man who has distinguished himself in actual combat in support of operations by “heroism or extraordinary achievement’ while participating in an aerial flight.
The medals were presented by Lt. Gen. T. Michael “Buzz” Moseley, the Combined Forces Air Component commander, who noted, “Their performance in carrying out the mission was in the finest traditions of our Air Force. They made us all very proud.”
According to Moseley, the pilots launched the strike less than two hours after being notified of the mission, with minimal planning material available. They met up with aerial refueling and electronic warfare aircraft on their way to Baghdad and coordinated the many details of the mission elements they needed in the air to support the attack formation.
Moseley said Hoehn faced another challenge when his aircraft developed a malfunction during the flight and had reduced communications ability. He was able to handle the aircraft through superior airmanship and was still able to achieve complete surprise in the heavily defended target area.
Additionally, Toomey had to overcome a weapons system malfunction as daylight approached in the target area, and the two aircraft entered into the heart of an Iraqi integrated air defense system with more than 50 strategic surface-to-air missile systems and more than 200 anti-aircraft artillery sites defending it, according to Moseley.
“Despite the malfunctions, both pilots penetrated the defenses and placed enhanced precision munitions (war material) exactly on target within one second of the planned time over the target,’ said Moseley.
Moseley said the mission opened the air war by striking at the heart of the Iraqi regime and began a continuous stream of more than 42,000 combat missions.
The Distinguished Flying Cross, authorized by Congress on July 2, 1926, and amended by executive order Jan. 8, 1938, was awarded first to Capt. Charles A. Lindbergh of the U.S. Army Corps Reserve for his solo flight of 3,600 miles across the Atlantic in 1927, a feat that electrified the world and made “Lindy” one of America’s most popular heroes.
The first Flying Cross to be awarded to a Navy man was to Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd of the U.S. Navy Air Corps on May 9, 1926, for his flight to and from the North Pole.
Both these famous aviators also received the Medal of Honor with the Flying Cross.
Amelia Earhart and the Wright Brothers have received the Flying Cross by a special act of Congress, since the law precluded giving the award to civilians.
During wartime, members of the armed forces of friendly foreign nations serving with the United States are eligible for the medal. It is also given to those who display heroism while working as instructors or students at flying schools.