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JB MDL pilot receives prestigious medal

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Bryan Swink
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  A 305th Air Mobility Wing pilot received the Distinguished Flying Cross during a presentation ceremony at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Aug. 6.

The ceremony honored Capt. Mason MacGarvey, a KC-10 Extender pilot with the 2nd Air Refueling Squadron, who, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, safely landed a C-130 with three of the four engines inoperable saving the lives of the 38 people on board.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to aviators and aircrew for heroism and extraordinary achievement during flying missions.

MacGarvey and his crew quickly reacted to a missile warning indication shortly after leaving Baghdad International Airport June 27, 2008. During the threat maneuver, three of the four engines failed, forcing the crew to land.

"At just three hundred feet above the ground, MacGarvey quickly directed the crew to accomplish the emergency checklist to restore power to the failed engines while simultaneously preparing for a forced landing," said Col. Scott Smith, 305th Air Mobility Wing commander.

MacGarvey steered the stricken aircraft away from a populated area and other obstacles toward a small barren field suitable for landing, Smith added.

"Despite the crew's best efforts to restore power to the inoperable engines, he was out of viable options and executed a phenomenal wing-level landing, preventing the aircraft from cart wheeling and ensuring the fuselage remained intact," said Smith. "The professional competence, aerial skill and devotion to duty displayed by MacGarvey reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force."

MacGarvey credited the five crew members for their efforts and superb airmanship while working as a team to help successfully land the aircraft with no injuries.

"Everyone's training kicked in and we got to work," said MacGarvey. "We were working as a team to diagnose the problems and figure out the best solution.

"If it weren't for the loadmasters insisting on flak jackets and helmets for the passengers, and flawlessly [evacuating] the 32 passengers out of the dusty and broken cargo compartment, we could have had some substantial injuries and possibly deaths," he added.

He acknowledged his family, previous instructors and mentors for their support, guidance and wisdom throughout his Air Force career. He also recognized key members from his previous installation and deployed chains of command for their support after the accident.

"Receiving this honor couldn't be possible without the many different people who have guided me, shaped me and supported me throughout the years, said MacGarvey.

"It is humbling to be recognized for this prestigious award," he added. "To be mentioned in the same breath as those who have previously received this award is an amazing honor."

President Calvin Coolidge presented the first Distinguished Flying Cross medal to Capt. Charles Lindbergh of the Army Corps Reserve on June 11, 1927, for his solo flight of 3,600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean earlier that year.

Although the law now states a recipient must be serving with the military, a number of early civilian aviation pioneers, such as Orville and Wilbur Wright and Amelia Earhart, received this honor. Awards to civilians came to an end when President Coolidge signed an executive order prohibiting them in 1927.

It is the only medal awarded by all five military services, in all wars and campaigns from World War I to the present.