Little Rock AFB Airmen earn Air Force Commendation Medals
You may remember back in June when Larry McElroy approached the gates of Little Rock Air Force Base at a high rate of speed and then crashed into a lamp pole. As Staff Sergeant Zachary Freese and Airman 1st Class Codee Smith approached the vehicle, McElroy leaped out brandishing a rifle. When he pointed the weapon at Freese amd Smith, they put him down. Well, yesterday they were awarded Air Force Commendation Medals for their actions that day according to the Arkansas News;
McElroy aimed the rifle at one of the guards, and the guards then shot McElroy, who died a day later.
According to the release, Col. Charles Brown Jr., 19th Airlift Wing and installation commander, told the airmen Monday, “When the wolf came knocking at the door … you ran to the sound of gunfire. It’s impressive that when civilians took cover, you ran toward danger. … Your actions quite literally saved lives.”
Freese said, “One thing that stays with me is how the events went from a vehicle accident to a man with a weapon. It happened so quickly, but we were ready.”
Freese attributed that readiness to extensive training.
“Muscle memory played a large part in how we responded that day,” he said.
McElroy was a little bit nutty – he thought someone at the Air Force Base was listening to his brainwaves or something. His wife and him both hallucinated that they were being held hostage by 25 armed men at some point and his father told authorities that his son had been using drugs fairly regularly. Well, that problem is solved.
Category: Air Force
Good to see the USAF do the right thing here.
Well done, men. Kudos.
Outstanding to see them recognized! They did their job, and did it well!
Well done Airmen … Well Done (BRAVO ZULU)!
“When the wolf came knocking at the door … you ran to the sound of gunfire.” The colonel’s mixed and tortured metaphors I can forgive but these men didn’t run anywhere. They were there, at the nut’s damaged car and, as I understand it, the only gunfire was theirs. Don’t get me wrong: Both men did the right thing and on time, but the colonel needs to tone it down with the added fluff ‘n stuff.
LOL. “And you huffed, and you puffed…” I say let him keep rolling.
My first thought was, “You take out an attacking bad guy and all you get is an AFCM??”
But them I looked at the chart and saw that the only other medals above that are Joint Service (no) Arial Achievenemt and Air medals (not in the air, they were on the ground) and then an MSM. Probably not MSM worthy but, hey, I got an MSM as an NCO for a couple of serious and life threatening things that happened on my watch, plus additional duties over time.
It could be because this is a SSgt and an A1C they hadn’t been awarded an AFCM yet and it was in line with their duties.
Plus they got to shoot a bad guy CONUS, so they got that going for them, which is nice.
/sarc
If I read the details in the referenced article correctly, and Airman’s medal might be appropriate.
gunfight with an “unaffiliated” loon is not “combat with an enemy of the USA”
But it is heroism at great risk to self.
The approving authority, or recommending person, may have thought gunfight=combat in terms of the regulation.
Those two will float the next couple of promotions, that is for sure.
Can they paint a gold ring on their firearms near the muzzle?
Hmm. Still thinking about this one…. Was “shooting attacker” merely “expected job description”?
No, I think not.
two to one odds in their favor, no effective fire from Nut- Ball? That is a bit different from taking on a Kalashnikov-wielding Jihadi barehanded.
AFCOM and quick promotion seems about right. And my personal HOOAH! Well done!
Actually, since they were (presumably) armed military police performing gate security duty I’d argue that this qualifies as “expected job description”. Every police patrol or mission has the potential for a confrontation with an armed assailant.
Still: while they were “just doing their job”, they did their job exceptionally well at a critical time and place. I agree that an AFCOM (with resulting fast-track for promo) seems appropriate in terms of recognition.
Jonn, I heard back from the Base PAO. There was NO V device with their awards. How about a little help readers in contacting base officials and asking the awards be amended to include a V device. Seems more than justified for their actions.
Imagine their e-mail addresses would first name dot last name @us.af.mil
Col. Charles E. Brown Jr.
19th Airlift Wing Commander
Col. Christopher L. Bennett
19th Airlift Wing Vice Commander
Chief Master Sgt. Rhonda Buening
19th Airlift Wing Command Chief
“It’s impressive that when civilians took cover…”
Well, since you’ve disarmed us, what the hell do you expect us to do genius?
So then how do you know who the good guy is?
Sierra Hotel Guys, well done.
“…his son had been using drugs fairly regularly…”
No shit?