Black Hawk crew honored for 3 heroic days

Black Hawk crew honored for 3 heroic days
By John Ryan - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Apr 23, 2012
An Army dust-off crew that flew 11 rescue hoists during 60 hours of combat deep in Afghanistan’s high mountains last June was honored for its heroics at the 2012 Army Aviation Association of America’s annual forum this month.

The Goodrich Corp., an AAAA sponsor, held the reception in Nashville, Tenn., to recognize the four-soldier Black Hawk crew of Dust Off 73 — pilot Chief Warrant Officer 4 Kenneth Brodhead, pilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 Erik Sabiston, flight medic Sgt. Julia Bringloe and crew chief Spc. David Capps — who spent nearly 12 hours in the air, extracting 14 wounded and one soldier killed in action and flying three critical resupply missions during a three-day operation.

Earlier this year, the crew received the AAAA/Goodrich Corp. 2011 Air and Sea Rescue of the Year award at Fort Rucker, Ala. Each soldier has been nominated for a Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest aviation award for valor.

“We didn’t expect to receive an award for our actions,” Sabiston said in an Army release. “It is a great honor, but anyone in this unit would have done the same.”

On June 25-27, 2011, DO-73 supported Operation Hammer Down, an effort to find Taliban training grounds and fighters in Watahpur district of Kunar province. Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, ran missions at elevations as high as 10,000 feet and faced heavy enemy contact.
read more here