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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (Nov. 8, 2012) - More
than 300 soldiers gathered at the Evergreen Theater on JBLM
to honor Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Whitmus of the
4-6 Attack Reconnaissance Squadron, who was awarded two Air
Medals by the 7th Infantry Division commanding general, Maj.
Gen. Stephen Lanza, Nov. 8 for valorous service while
deployed to Afghanistan.
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Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza awards two Air Medals with "V" Device to Chief Warrant Officer 3, Christopher A. Whitmus at Evergreen Theater Nov. 8, 2012. Whitmus
received both awards for meritorious achievement and valor during
support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2011. Photo by Army Capt. Jesse Paulsboe
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Whitmus was honored for his
support in the destruction of enemy forces while repeatedly
sustaining fire over the course of six hours. His team
conducted multiple attacks while taking sustained enemy fire
and completed the mission with no coalition losses.
On two separate occasions, Whitmus was engaged by an enemy
with superior fields of fire. His actions and disregard for
his own personal safety saved the lives of several U.S.
ground forces.
“I don't think I have ever felt fear
in a combat situation,” Whitmus said. “The fear comes in
afterwards. It's when you take a breath and the adrenaline
stops pumping.”
The loss of a fellow soldier and
friend just days prior was a strong motivation to do
whatever was necessary to ensure that his fellow soldiers
went home, said Whitmus.
“April 23, 2011, one of our
aircraft was shot down early in the morning and in the event
of the shoot down we had a large enemy force begin to
gather,” said Whitmus. “One of the pilots was dead on the
scene and the other sustained multiple injuries. The crash
site turned into a severe fire fight.”
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The aircraft
went down in a valley occupied by coalition forces. Troops
supporting aircraft recovery operations on the ground soon
began receiving sporadic enemy contact. Whitmus engaged in
two battles that lasted several hours, in which his aircraft
was attacked with rocket propelled grenades, machine guns
and small arms fire. During the battle, Whitmus provided
fire suppression from his helicopter for ground forces,
allowing them to be safely recovered.
“Our measure
for mission accomplishment isn't based on the number of
hours we flew, or how many rounds we shot, or the gallons of
gas we burned, it's all about how effective we are at being
able to support the ground forces,” said Lt. Col. Brian
Watkins, 4-6 Attack Reconnaissance Squadron commander. “They
were not only supporting our troops, but also our allies.”
On a separate occasion in July 2011, while providing
reconnaissance for reported sniper fire, Whitmus' aircraft
was shot from below with what he believed were AK-47 rounds.
One round missed Whitmus by inches, striking the aircraft's
rotary blade.
“We knew we were hit, but the ground
forces were still in contact so we stayed on station for
another 45 minutes. We continued to suppress the area
multiple times, taking a lot of fire before breaking
station,” Whitmus said.
“Whitmus is definitely a
hero,” said Watkins. “He knowingly would go out and put
himself in harm's way and know whenever they got called to
the valley somebody was being shot at. They only time they
were moved over to that particular valley that was if
someone was in contact (with the enemy). They went every
time they were called.”
The Air Medal honors Whitmus
for his expert aviation skill and heroic efforts, but
Whitmus said, for him the award is more about honoring the
memory of a good friend.
By Army Sgt. Adrianna Barnes
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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