Should this airman receive the Medal of Honor for Laos battle? A congressman thinks so
Air Force Times
By: Stephen Losey
April 19, 2019
A California congressman is pushing to upgrade a retired Air Force colonel’s Air Force Cross to a Medal of Honor for “extraordinary heroism” during a fierce 1969 battle in Laos.
Col. Philip J. Conran receives an Air Force Cross for his heroic actions in Laos on Oct. 6, 1969. (Courtesy of the Robert F. Dorr Collection)
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-California, on Monday introduced a bill, HR 2330, that would authorize the president to upgrade Col. Philip Conran’s Air Force Cross to the nation’s highest award for valor.
On Oct. 6, 1969, as the United States’ war in Vietnam spilled over into Laos, then-Maj. Philip Conran was part of a mission that went south when a helicopter was shot down, according to a narrative provided by Carbajal’s staff. Conran took charge during the rescue attempt, and repeatedly put himself at risk to save 44 of his fellow troops, according to the legislation.
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Marin war hero receives Air Force’s highest award for valor
Marin Independent Journal
By Paul Liberatore
POSTED: 04/30/17
Out in the open, he started directing air support on the Taliban positions firing on his team with machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and sniper rifles.
Christopher Baradat is how you might imagine an ideal war hero to be: humble, soft-spoken, self-effacing, quick to point out the heroism of others before himself.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein presents the Air Force Cross to Novato resident Chris Baradat on April 20 at Hurlburt Field in Florida. (U.S. Air Force photo)
But nobody else did what the former Air Force staff sergeant did one April day in 2013: Stand unwilting under enemy fire for three hours to help rescue a squad of his fellow soldiers pinned down by the Taliban in a death trap of a valley in Afghanistan.
For his “extraordinary heroism,” the 28-year-old Novato resident was awarded the Air Force Cross, the service’s highest decoration for valor.
The Air Force Cross is so rarely given that Baradat’s medal is one of only nine awarded since the end of the Vietnam War.
“You represent the finest traits America can ask of its warriors,” said Gen. David Goldfein, 21st Air Force Chief of Staff, during ceremonies April 20 at Hurlburt Field in Florida. “When lives were on the line, you moved carefully and deliberately into harm’s way with protection of others in mind.”
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Airman to receive Air Force Cross for valor in Afghanistan
Fay Observer
By Drew Brooks Military editor
Jan 19, 2017
On April 6, 2013, Baradat's actions were credited with saving the lives of more than 150 allies, both American and Afghan.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher G. Baradat stood in an open Afghan courtyard as dirt kicked up by enemy bullets hitting the ground around him sprayed his uniform.
With members of the Special Forces team he was attached to shouting for him to take cover, Baradat instead zeroed in on the roughly 100 enemy fighters bearing down on his teammates with sniper fire, machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades.
Exposing himself to the hostile fire to better communicate with air crews overhead, Baradat orchestrated the supporting fire that would save the lives of his team and the allied forces they had been dispatched to rescue, synchronizing attacks from AC-130 and A-10 aircraft fighting back with their own barrage of fire, including 25 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm and 105 mm munitions and 500-pound bombs.
"I do not think that what I did that day was heroic; I was completely focused on coordinating close air support as I was trained to do in support of my team," Baradat said. "I witnessed many heroic acts from the Army Special Forces team, and I hope that they receive the recognition that they deserve. I also want to thank the A-10 and AC-130 aircrew that day. Without their support, the day would have turned out much worse."
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