Gunship Commander Receives Cheney Award

[unhappycamper]

Gunship Commander Receives Cheney Award
October 07, 2008
Air Force Print News|by SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski

WASHINGTON - The aircraft commander of an AC-130H Spectre gunship was named the recipient of the Cheney Award for providing close-air support to troops on the ground in Afghanistan in May 2007.

The Cheney Award is presented each year to aviators who demonstrate an act of valor, extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian venture. This year, the award went to a captain with the 18th Flight Test Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

On the day before he and his crew were headed home, Capt. Chad Bubanas and his crew took off on one last routine patrol mission over Afghanistan when they were radioed about a crashed CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Captain Bubanas coordinated the efforts of his 13-person crew, as they provided overhead support to the survivors as they came under direct fire from hostile forces.

"We called down to them on the radio and I spoke to a Soldier who had never gotten gunship support before, so he was a little rattled, but was able to confirm targets for us," said Captain Bubanas, an Aurora, Colo., native. "It was probably a six- or seven- hour ordeal and we were all over the place helping different units on the ground. There were Apache helicopters in the area, another Spectre and probably 15 units who called us in that day."

Soon after, Captain Bubanas and his crew were called to support special operations forces as well. He coordinated several support efforts and according to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, because of Captain Bubanas and his crew, American lives were saved that day.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/air-force-news/gunship-commander-receives-cheney-award.html?col=1186032369229



uhc comment: The Cheney award? Really?

[Super62]

1. WTF????

Why would they name an award for valor after the biggest piece of human shit on the planet? Fucking traitor.

[denverbill]

2. Shouldn't that award go out to people who mistakenly shoot civilians?

Jesus. Cheney, the 5 or 6 times draft-dodger who never served in the military and whose idiotic blunder into Iraq has cost us thousands of lives and a trillion dollars has a military award named after him?

Doesn't Congress have to approve stuff like this?

[Ian David]

3. I was gonna say... souldn't The Cheney Award be for "Friendly Fire" ?

The same way The Laura Bush Award should be for killing one of your classmates with your car.

[Submariner]

4. What a slap in the face to those receiving the award

I know I would be offended to receive an award named after a yellow belly draft dodging coward, especially one that is a war profiteering traitor.

How disgusting. My sympathies to the recipients of that shithole award.