Special Operations Pilot Wins Jabara Award

SpecialOperationsPilot Wins JabaraAward
Capt. (major selectat presstime) Corby L. Martin, Classof
1980.was namedwinner of the 1992JabaraAward for Airmanshipby AcademySuperintendent
Lt. Gen.BradleyC. Hosmerfor
his sustainedsuperior performanceas an MH-53J Pave Low
helicoptercommanderduring Operation Desert Shield,/Desert
Storm from August 1990to March 1991.CaptainMartin wasthe
Air ForceSpecialOperationsCommandnominee.
Deployedwith the first waveto Operation DesertShield, Captain Martin built, planned and organized the entire combat
plan for western Iraq and the Persian Gulf
search-and-rescue
area. This plan for coalition Air Forcesusedjoint and combined
servicecomponentswith over 40 different aircraft, both fixed and
rotary wing. He also designedtacticsto employPaveLow navigational and terrain-following capabitilities with Army AH-64
Apache helicoptersand flew lead for every one of eight rehearsals,including live fire of Hellfire missilesto developjoint formation proceduresand a cohesivecombat team,
Capt. Corby L. Martin, 'E0
On Jan. 11, 1991,Captain Martin led a flight of Army Apache
helicoptersinto Iraq which successfullydestroyedenemy earlywarning radar sites,opening a wide radar-freeair corridor along
Iraq's borderto beginthe air war of OperationDesertStorm. To
avoid detection and achievetactical surprise,the flight flew in
total darknessat 100 feet and below penetratingIraqi airspace
and arriving at their targetswithin l0 secondsof the prescribed
time on target. Maintaining completeradio silence,the Pave
Lows led the formation and decelerated
to slow airspeedfor the
targetattack run. Timing wassuchthat CaptainMartin's flight of
Apachesfired on their targetsexactlyon time, achievingtotal tactical surprise in perfect coordination with numerous other
geographically-separated
air strikes. On egress,with enemy air
det'enses
now alerted and filling the sky with small arms fire and
and
evasivemaneuvers
infraredmissiles,CaptainMartin executed
to recoversafelyto a forward area
launchedcountermeasures
refueling point to drop off the Apaches.Then, low on fuel
a blacked-out,low-altitude(below500
himself,he accomplished
feet)join-up with a HC-I30 tankerto air refuelhisown helicopter
usingnight vision goggleswith zero moon illumination.
ThroughoutDesertStorm, CaptainMartin flew 33 sortiesand
over 45 combat hours under the most demandingand stressful
conditions,On alert whena British specialforcesteamwasmissing in action, he planned and flew as flight lead on the first
U.S./United Kingdomhelicopteroperationin combat,searching
for over five hours over the featurelessdesertsome200 milesinto
Iraq. Army Lt. Gen. Wayne A. Downing, the Joint Special
OperationsTask Force Commander,said in his letter of recommendation,..."If I must go to war again,I want Corby Martin
with me. He is oneof the mostoutstandingcombatleadersof any
serviceI haveevermet."
JZ
The 1992JabaraAward will be presentedto Captain Martin by
SuperintendentLt. Gen. Bradley C. Hosmer, '59, during the
JabaraAward Receptionand Banquet the eveningof Saturday,
Sept.26 at Homecoming1992.This year there weretwo runnersup for the JabaraAward. They were:
Lt. Col JAMES E. REED, '72, who was nominatedby U.S.
Air Forcesin Europe for his accomplishmentsas a superbfighter
squadroncommanderand aviator during DesertStorm. Colonel
Reedwasthe commanderof th 525thTacticalFighterSquadron
which becamethe air superioritysquadronfor the Air Force's
first composite wing, the 7440th Combat Wing (Provisional).
Colonel Reed was a principal organizer of the combat wing
employmentconcept,coauthoredthe Air TaskingOrder for the
first three daysof the air war over northern Iraq, and expertlyintegratedTurkish fightersinto the air defenseof Turkey. On Jan.
17, 1991,ColonelReedled the first combatmissionagainstnorthern Iraq by ProvenForceaircraft.He led a brilliant, eight-ship,
lights-out,night offensiveinto northern lraq, dealingwith poor
weather,SAM launches,and intenseAAA fire. During the war,
Colonel Reed'ssquadronrecordedsix enemyaircraft downed,
zerolosses,and 1,329air-to-aircombatsortiesflown.
Capt. STEPHEN R. PHILLIS, '82, who was nominated
posthumouslyby Tactical Air Command for a heroic act during
DesertStorm. On Feb. 15, 1991,Capt. Phillis led a two-shipof
A-l0s performing battlefield air interdiction againstthe heavilydefendedIraqi RepublicanGuard's elite Mednah Armored Division. After a SAM missile took out the flight controls of his
wingman, Captain Phillis closed in to dover him with total
disregardto his own safety. The wingman ejectedand Captain
Phillis continuedto suppressground fire to provide safetyfor the
pilot's parachutedescent.After calling for a rescueair patrol and
a rescue cover flight, Captain Phillis determined it was too
dangerousfor the rescueattempt and warnedthe aircraft to stay
clear. Moments later, Captain Phillis sustainedbattle damage,
followed by relentlessAAA and SAM fire. It was then that he
made the ultimate sacrifice while trying to aid his downed
wingman.
The otherdistinguished
JabaraAward nomineesfor 1992were:
Lt. Col. MARK B. ROGERS, '75, nominated by Headquarters,U.S. Air Force,for his accomplishments
with the Central CommandAir Forcesin Riyadh during DesertStorm. His
foresightand expertiseallowedhim to play a key role in the successfulair campaignof the coalitionforcesduring the war. Colonel Rogers servedas the deputy director, Special Planning
Group, and had the primaryresponsibilityfor preparingthe plan
approvedby GeneralSchwarzkopf.
Maj. THOMAS C. SCHIPPER, '77, nominatedby Air Force
SystemsCommand,for his contributionsto the designand flight
test of the T-lA Jayhawk.When two of threetest pilots for the
new Tanker Transport Training Systemcandidateaircraft were
of
reassigned,
Major Schippercarriedon the program,the success
which can be attributedto his dedicationand professionalism.
Maj. JOHN A. SCHAFER, '78, nominatedby Military Airlift
Command,for aggressively
seekingsupportto testthe tacticsof a
project calledTacticsDevelolpmentand Evaluation of Transport
EvasiveManeuverswhich had sat dormant for six years.He successfullyproved and incorporatedthesetacticsinto the tactical
transportaircrewevasivemaneuvers.
Capt. JAY G. SANTEE, '81, nominatedby Air ForceLogistics
Commandfor his heroicactionswhile engagedin combatoperationsflying the EF-l1lA whiledeployedto SaudiArabia. Captain
Santeelead a flight of EF-lllAs in supportof 98 F-l6s and six
BritishGR-ls, strikingtargetson the outskirtsof Baghdad.Twice
during the missionhis flight was attackedby enemyaircraft and
on each occasionCaptain Santeedirected the flight's defensive
reactions,successfully
defeatingthe enemythreat,then returning
(Continued on poge 79.)
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ingthe anniversarything a whole lot easier.Dan wasthe bestman. Others
attendingthe wedding which took place in Dover were Andy FOLTZ,
StacySMITH, and the KWANSNY's, Jim and Beth (DUNN). At the end
of December,Dan Flynn was married to the former Tina Martin of ColoradoSprings.The wedding took place in Colorado Springsand guess
whowasbestman?
Here is a list of other '9lers who graduated from intel school at
Goodfellow:StephanieKONIECZNY - Cannon AFB, NM (F-lll);
Esme'DAETZ (OSHITA) - Tyndall AFB, FL (for now, Dan's fighter
assignmentis up in the air); Laura GRAY - Holloman AFB, NM
(F-117s);
Laine HARRINGTON - Mountain Home AFB, ID (F-15C);
Beth KWASNY (DUNN) - Kelly AFB, TX (Air Force Elec. Warfare
Center,her husbandJim is starting T-38sat Laughlin); Lance COOK MisawaAB, Japan(F-16s);Rob BOYER, who by the way is now engaged,- Hill AFB, UT (F-l6s); and Bill BLITT - MalmstromAFB, MT
(chiefof Intel KC-135wing).
Our final letter comesfrom Craig ALLTON. Craig is currently an SP
at F.E. Warren and is getting married on 24 Oct 92 to Starry Severn
(Universityof Coloradoalumni). If any of the "Bro's" happento be in
the Springsaround October and would like to help Craig celebratethe
"Big Day" just drop him a line. His addressis 4519 Marble Ave..
WY 82001.Phone: (307)638-1708.As for Bill HICKMAN,
Cheyenne,
Jon BORN, Rick LOUTHAN, Dan BLOCK (future wedded man
himself)and Bill BARNES, pleasedrop Craig a line about the wedding.
Speakingof weddings,John "Surf" KINSMAN just left for UPT at
Del Rio and will be marryingKris Stricklandlateron in Decemberof '92.
Craigalsoinformed me that Jay R. FROHNE (ensign,USN) is now attendingpilot trainingin Pensacola,FL.
Othergraduatesat F.E. Warren includeAndrew SASSEVILLE(SP),
Brian BANKS, BRINDLE and ANDERSON (all SPs), Craig
BLACKWELL and J.P. PORIER (missiles),
and LeisaKOLLARS.
Craigjust got donecompetingat the 25th anniversaryMissileCombat
Competition at VandenburgAFB, CA. Other grads attending the competition include Scot PEAKE from Minot and Jim BLACKBURN from
GrandForks.Congratsguys,heardyou kickedsomebutt. Thanksfor the
info Craig.
Well, that's all the fan mail I received.On the adminsideof the house,
asof 9 March our classhad contributedlittle to the AOG alumni house.I
think most people,me included,were not awareof the whole project.
Sincethen, specificdonation requestsweresentto all AOG mernbers.So
if all of you rich secondlieutenantsout herehavean extra buck the AOG
would kindly put it to good use.
Here'ssomemore tidbitsof information.CallieCALHOUN. Shannen
KARPEL and Sue HENKE once again all competedin the CISM track
meetin California this May and representedthe Air Forcewell. I caughta
brief glanceof Tim RUNNETTE at Carswell'sbaseops, enjoying a little
cross-countryaction. Looked like he was still the sameol' Tim but we
wereso busybeingflying dweebswe had no opportunityto gossip.Sorry!
Max GRANNON just joined us here in beautiful Enid, OK and is in the
baby classat Vance AFB. Mark CIERO is currently going to school at
MIT and is engagedto Elaine Sabol.As for me, my classrecentlyfinished
up with the "tweet" and we are now burner bound. I was fortunate
enough to take some leave in betweento be with my fiance, Adam
MCCLEAN. Yes,we arealsojoining the ever-growing
list of newlyweds.
Now all you '91ers will have two points of contact for Checkpoints.
That's all the info I have. Everyone's letters were gr€at. Keep the fan
rnail coming, and make sure to send lots of good-looking photos! I'm
looking forward to writing the next article for Checkpoints and informing
everyone of our "studs" first assignments out of UPT. So if anyone can
still remember anything after thefu assignment night, please send the info
to either myself or the AOG. And from the Class of '91. I would like to
give a hearty congratulations to True Blue '92. Have fun at the bottom of
the totem pole! Till we meet again, Amy Lynn Reecy.
(JabaraAward: From pagej2.)
and superb flying skills prevented the loss of a highly-classified
aircraft and a fellow aviator.
Jabara award winners are selected by the Academy and the
Association of Graduates on behalf of the Jabara family. The
award honors a "USAFA graduate whose contributions are of
such significance as to set them apart from their
contemporaries." Nominees' actions must be directly associated
with an aerospace vehicle or component. The award is named for
Col. James Jabara, America's first jet ace and second leading ace
in the Korean War. The nominees are screened by a Jabara
Award Selection Committee composed of graduate members of
the Association of Graduates. Their final recommendation is forwarded to the superintendent for his approval.
Serving on this year's selection committee were Col. Ralph B.
Femrite (chairman), '67; Lt. Col. John L. Bush, '72; Maj. John
A. Ausink, '76; Capt. Daniel Amicarelli, '80; Capt. Cathy C.
Clothier, '82; Capt. David J. Tubb, '86; and Capt. Georgia R.
McCurdy (recorder),'88.
to his orbit to further suppressenemyair defenses,
Capt. JAMES K. MCLAUGHLIN, '83, nominatedby U.S.
SpaceCommand for his sustainedsuperior performancein national spacepolicy development.He orchestrated
a multi-agency
study to reevaluatethe launch systemsecurity policy which
resultedin a more realisticapproachto operations,and expertly
led the managementof a team to transition the LANDSAT
satellitesystemto DoD control.
Capt. MICHAEL S. DUVALL,'84, nominatedby PacificAir
Forcesfor his contributionsduring DesertStorm. He formulated
tactics for night employmentof precision-guidedmunitions and
trainedaircrewsin their use.He usedthesetacticsto destroyan
impressiveamount of Iraqi military hardware, and was a key
memberof 4th Wing (Provisional)Air TaskingOrder Team.
Capt. DAVID B. HORTON, '85, nominatedby StrategicAir
Commandfor his actionduringDesertStorm.CaptainHorton, a
KC-l35 pilot, rescuedan F-ll7A insideIraqi air space,refueling
the aircraft which was only moments from flameout and pilot
ejection.CaptainHorton's calmdemeanor,situationalawareness
JamesMehta
1204SanMiguel Ave.,
SantaBarbara.CA 93109
Home: (805)966-6105
Percentmembers:33
Congratulations to the Class of 1992! Graduation was probably not
what we had dreamed of for four years, but I don't think that any of us
will forget it. Unfortunately, the Thunderbirds did not perform, so I
think that it's up to the one of us who becomes commander of them to
bring them back for one of our reunions.
To make these notes about the Class of '92 the best possible, I'm going
to need your help. Let me know what you are doing and what other True
Bluers are up to. I know that we just graduated, but I also know that there
were some exciting summers and also tell us how the "real" Air Force is
treating you.
My summer so far has been exciting to say the least. My roommate,
Don UNWIN, and I have been traveling the country to seeAmerica. Our
first days of leave were spent at Steve WOLF's house to see his sister get
married. Steveis now a Marine and headed to The Basic School in Quantico, VA. Our journey took us past Mt. Rushmore and through Minnesota. Next, in Madison, WI we saw Jim MEGER who was visiting his
friend C2C Missy Fuss (CS-22). He's off to ReeseAFB for UPT in July.
From there we went to Milwaukee to seeJohn COSGROVE who is spending the summer relaxing at home. John also starts UPT in July, but he'll
be at Columbus AFB.
The next stop was at Joe DELAPP's house outside of Chicago. Joe is
going to Sheppard AFB in November. For casual status he will be with
Brian DELEMATER
and several others including myself at Lawrence
Livermore Labs in California. We made it to Don's house in Charleston.
SC after a total of I I days. After South Carolina, we headed to California
to my house via military transport.
At Andrews AFB, we saw Scott HINES and Scott YANCY who were
visiting with Brook LEONARD in Virginia. Scott Hines is getting married
in Colo Spgs later this summer. When we arrived in California, we were
picked up by Dave KUMASHIRO. He will be going to Laughlin AFB for
UPT in Sept. That brings us to this point in our journey at my home in
Santa Barbara, CA. Don UNWIN will be at Columbus, AFB starting in
Sept and after casual status I will be at Vance AFB.
I know that we all are having very rough summers, but drop me a note
and tell me what's going on.
SEND US YOUR NEW ADDRESSNOW.
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