AF Combat controller earns Bronze and Silver Stars

The Fayetteville Observer tells the story of Air Force Staff Sgt. Cecil Caleb Gilbreath a combat controller attached to a Special Forces unit who twice called in airstrikes “danger close” eo his own position, turning the tides of battle and earning himself Bronze and Silver Stars;

On Nov. 2, 2009, Gilbreath, a team of Green Berets from Fort Bragg’s 3rd Special Forces Group and soldiers from the Afghanistan National Army were ambushed by 30 enemy fighters. Gilbreath called in bomb strikes to take out the insurgents.

Three days later, Gilbreath’s team was clearing a village occupied by an estimated 120 Taliban and foreign fighters, according to the citation.

“As bullets and shrapnel impacted his vehicle from all directions and the enemy closed on his team’s position, Sergeant Gilbreath directed two immediate … strafing runs against insurgent fighters just 30 feet from his position,” the citation reads. “These attacks suppressed the nearest threats, but did little to deter the enemy force.”

For the next hour, without regard for his own safety, Gilbreath called in eight more air strikes, turning the tide in the battle and allowing his team to defeat the enemy without a single casualty, according to the citation.

Of course, Gilbreath clams he was just doing his job, but I think the men whose lives he saved might describe his actions differently.

Category: Real Soldiers