DFC for “Killer Chick”
At Defense.gov, they tell the story of Air Force Major Kim Campbell who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for her actions over Baghdad on April 7, 2003 when after flying her A-10 Warthog in support of an Army unit which was pinned against the Tigris River by republican Guard units, she discovered that her air craft had been devastated by ground fire;
With numerous caution lights flashing, the one that worried Campbell the most was the hydraulic lights. A quick check confirmed her suspicions: Her hydraulic system had been fried. She would later discover that one of her engines was badly damaged and the fuselage was riddled with hundreds of bullet holes.
Campbell quickly switched to manual inversion, allowing her to fly her Warthog under mechanical control. She then had a decision: try to fly 300 miles back to base, or parachute into hostile territory. This was dicey terrain, so she decided she had to make the flight. Despite the heavily damaged aircraft and terrible weather – including massive dust storms – “Killer Chick” persevered.
Our heart-felt congratulations to this true warrior and we’re glad that she’s still among us to receive the award. And, thanks for flying support for the folks on the ground – an A-10 is a most welcomed sight in a firefight, and it takes a special kind of pilot to fly into the maw of incoming fire from the ground.
Category: Air Force, Real Soldiers
There you go … proves my theory:
1. Outstanding warrior!
2. Awesome aerial and combat skills.
3. Easy on the eyes.
4. Good for morale!
BZ – Major Kim Campbell
“After successfully hitting their targets, the pilots turned back toward base – and that’s when Campbell’s jet was rocked by a large explosion, and immediately began pulling to the left and toward the ground.” First, she accomplished her mission. Second, she stayed the course despite the serious damage. Third, she made a tough decision to fly it out, not bail. Fourth, she got back safely. That’s the stuff. Congratulations, Major Campbell.
Those A-10’s really saved our ass many times in Iraq. I have much respect for them. They always had to come in real close and the air support was devastating on the enemy. Between them, the Cobra and Huey pilots- I would buy them all a drink. Congrats Major Campbell, and thanks a lot.
Speaking of killer chicks-there are reports that Margaret Thatcher has died.
http://news.sky.com/story/1075292/margaret-thatcher-dies-after-stroke
@3, I’m a big fan of Kiowa Warrior pilots. They saved our ass in Mosul. My hats off to this warrior.
10 years for her to get a “real” award? Air Farce should have offered her a BSM, they have those on a tear sheet roll, right?
I was in 3ID for the invasion, the day after we took the airport we spotted some A-10s making gun runs not far from the airport. Only time in my life I got to watch those beasts dive in, trails some smoke and break away kicking out flares, then have the sound reach me a few seconds later. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!
My question was….when was this awarded?? I think maybe in 2004 but I can’t see a date for this…I saw the photos of the A-10 she flew back when the internet was a baby…..ok not exactly but still…
(Link for the photos of shot to shiat A-10)
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/kimcampbell.html
I had a squadron commander that was a former A-10 pilot, he had told us back when this story first came out that flying the Warthog “Dead Stick” was no easy task for any pilot.
I probably used the wrong phrase there – dead stick meaning engine out. Flying the Warthog without hydraulics was what I meant.
Chip, thanks for the link. That A-10 was jacked up. I did like the soup of the day picture too.
#8 #9 Eggs,
Easy there. To those who know, no explanation is necessary. To those who don’t, no explanation is enough.
Damn good pilot.
i’ll bet that she is also an outstanding mom and wife.
great story
I’ve seen few planes as well designed or redundant as the A-10, the thing truly is a beast. I remember hearing about this when this happened, really skilled landing and commendation for saving a $12 million plus war machine
Says a whole lot not just for her skills as a pilot, but a lot for the engineers who built that plane to take that kind of damage and not turn into a very expensive brick.
There’s a more ‘colorful’ version of the story on Badass Of The Week. A great read about an awesome pilot!
Raise high your glasses and toast to the 3 beuatiful ladies ( The Warthog, The GUA-8 and Maj Cambell)
My hats off in apprication. Any Ground Pounder knows that when you are out in the middle of nowhere and you hear the sound- in training or real world trouble, that is a sight to behold…
@14/15: I recall a story from the ’91 Gulf War of an A-10 coming back so badly shot up that it couldn’t even be repaired. They kinda sorta patched it up, crated it up, and sent it home to be a static display.
Still got the pilot home though.
Kudos, Ma’am.
Her wingman is quoted as saying she landed better without hydraulics than he did with the hydraulics….
Tough as h3ll, and damn good at the job!
About time on the recognition…
Flying tanks. Ugly as sin and baaaaaaaad ass.
My unit’s mission in A-Stan was Convoy Protection, and I quit counting after 150 missions. Whenever we were en route on a mission, the prettiest sight in the World was that of A-10’s on the prowl. (Apaches as well). Anytime we saw them, we knew it was going to be a quiet mission, “Hadji” didn’t even poke his head above the berm when those birds were around! Bravo Zulu, Ma’am, well done!!
Great story. Great pilot. Great warrior. I needed something like this to wash away the bad taste of the protesters in SF.
@23, Steve S: do you know why Police Dogs in San Fran lick their butts?
It gets the taste of the locals out of their mouths!!
They constantly run her story on AFN ads. The sound of the 30mm is not one you will ever forget.