"Redcatcher" Kiowa pilots honored in Mosul

Photo By Sgt. Patrick Lair | Capt. Peter DiGiorgio, recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Boise, recipient of the Air Medal with Valor and the Army Commendation Medal, stand alongside eight other "Redcatcher" Kiowa pilots of the 4-6 Air Cavalry Squadron who were honored for their service in Mosul on March 2.  

MOSUL, IRAQ

03.02.2008

Story by Sgt. Patrick Lair 

115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Sgt. Patrick Lair
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

MOSUL, Iraq—Standing in formation between two Kiowa helicopters, which were parked ceremoniously before an airfield hangar, members of the 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment "Redcatchers," based out of Fort Lewis, Wash., honored ten helicopter pilots at the Mosul Airfield, on March 2, for their service in northern Iraq. One of those soldiers received the Distinguished Flying Cross.

"This is a small representation of the heroism and courage the Redcatchers display every day," said Col. Jessie Farrington, commander of the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade, before handing out four Army Commendation Medals, seven Air Medals, five Air Medals with Valor and a Distinguished Flying Cross.

"You're willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done and make sure the ground forces have what they need," he said.

Since beginning their deployment in the summer of 2007, the 4-6 Air Cavalry Redcatchers have flown hundreds of missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, including reconnaissance, screen, air movement and security missions. All of the awards presented, March 2, were for instances in which the pilots engaged enemy IED emplacers or whose services helped spoil an imminent enemy attack.

The Distinguished Flying Cross

Capt. Peter DiGiorgio, the E. Troop commander who's also known as the Aviation Unit Maintenance commander, had never received an award for aerial achievement before Sunday's ceremony at "Money" Ramp in the Mosul Airfield.

DiGiorgio, 29, of Chantilly, Va., has been in the U.S. Army for eight years, the last two years as an aviator.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any member of the U.S. armed forces who distinguishes him or herself in combat by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight." Stemming from a Jan. 30 action, the award was given to DiGiorgio and 1st Lt. Robert Sickler, who's now at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital recovering from a shrapnel wound from a separate incident.

According to the pilot, DiGiorgio and Stickler began their daily patrol over Mosul in a Kiowa helicopter, Jan. 30, accompanied by another Kiowa piloted by Chief Warrant Officers Thomas Boise and Susan Weathers. A few minutes into the shift, the helicopters were called to another area of Mosul to attack an insurgent van carrying a heavy-caliber machine gun. Boise and Weathers fired the first Hellfire missile. DiGiorgio and Sickler fired the second. Both missiles hit their target and destroyed the vehicle.

At this point, DiGiorgio and Sickler were informed by radio that they were taking enemy gunfire. They couldn't hear the rounds over the sounds of the aircraft, DiGiorgio said. So they lowered the aircraft behind a nearby hill, directly over a cemetery and prepared to return to the source of the gunfire to engage the enemy.

The aircraft climbed a hard 1500 feet, crested the hill and returned to the source of gunfire where they then received "extremely heavy fire."

"We engaged back with a .50 caliber machine gun, then banked left to leave, when the enemy returned more fire," the pilot said.

This time the enemy gunfire succeeded in disabling the aircraft. A bullet struck the bar which holds the aircraft's cyclic controls, knocking out electricity in part of the helicopter and taking out all its communications abilities.

"We prepared for a crash landing. We were pretty sure the engine was going to quit," DiGiorgio said. "We were going to put down in the cemetery."

"They had no comm's and no instrument indications. They were hearing strange noises from the aircraft and preparing for engine failure," said Lt. Col. T. J. Jamison, commander of the 4-6 Air Cavalry Squadron.

Luckily, the engine did not quit. Without any communication with the other helicopter or a controller, DiGiorgio and Sickler lowered the aircraft close to the ground and navigated their way back to base by watching the Mosul city roads beneath them.

"Once we got back, Lt. Sickler jumped out and ran down to an alternate helicopter. We took off and met up with Boise and Weathers again," DiGiorgio said. "The whole process probably took 20 minutes."

The two helicopters returned to the scene where they engaged another enemy vehicle with Hellfire missiles, destroying it and killing the insurgents who'd fired on them previously. The Kiowas were then called onto an alternate mission before returning once more to the scene near the cemetery, and spent the rest of the day tracking the one insurgent who escaped. The other nine enemy fighters had been either killed or wounded in the firefight.

"This was a very young lieutenant and a young crew, even after being warned they were being engaged, who dove in on a target in an unarmored Kiowa Warrior, took fire, then immediately grabbed another helicopter and returned to kill seven more guys," Jamison said. "These awards are a recognition of brave acts."

DiGiorgio said he doesn't want to take all the credit. "Boise and Weathers were with us the whole way and, of course, none of this is possible without all the support elements," he said.

Sickler is recovering from a shrapnel wound to the lung which occurred 30 days after this incident. He received his Distinguished Flying Cross while convalescing at the Walter Reed Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. He is in good condition and expected to return to duty in time.

"I called him and told him we're working to get him back because he's part of our unit," Jamison said. "We hope to have him back by the end of this tour. But, if not, he'll be back for the next one."

• Date Taken: 03.02.2008
• Date Posted: 03.03.2008 14:30
• Story ID: 16951
• Location: MOSUL, IQ