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188th pilot earns Combat Action Medal for OIF work on the ground

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman John Hillier
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  The wealth of skills and experience possessed by Guardsmen make them invaluable partners in the fight against America's adversaries.

188th Fighter Wing pilot Maj. Patric Coggin was awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal at a recent commander's call not for his work as a close-air support pilot but for one such mission on the ground while serving as a battalion air liaison officer attached to the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron during the offensive operation into Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The event in question was just one story from a two-month deployment with the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron," said Coggin. "While the events of the day described in the medal citation are very memorable, it was only one of a series of stories that I'll be able to share forever."

Combat Action Medals are awarded to Airmen who deliberately go outside the defended perimeter to conduct official duties - either ground or air, and come under enemy attack by lethal weapons while performing those duties, and experience high risk situations that place them in grave danger.

In the spring of 2003, Then-1st Lt. Coggin's duties were to lead a six-man Tactical Air Control Party and to advise battalion leadership on the use of air power. As a qualified Joint Terminal Attack Controller, Coggin also positioned himself with dismounted patrols so he could call in air strikes as required.

Coggin came upon indirect and direct enemy fire multiple times during the operation, including the clearance of Al Hillah, Iraq. He was located with the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment's main effort which was planned to clear from south to north through the city. Opposition was light until the approach to the Euphrates River, at which time friendly forces made contact with enemy forces.

Upon taking contact, Coggin dismounted to take a desirable observation position along the river. As he moved, he and the platoon he was with began taking effective small arms and machine gun fire from elevated positions on apartment buildings across the river. Coggin was completely exposed to enemy fire equipped only with individual protective equipment, an M-4 rifle and radios.

As enemy fire impacted all around the unit, Coggin and the platoon took a hasty defensive position behind a metal fence. Some members of the platoon returned fire while Coggin coordinated communications with the platoon and battalion leadership. While the extremely dense urban terrain and imprecise battle tracking made air strikes impossible, the information Coggin passed along allowed friendly armor forces to advance and neutralize the enemy position.

"I've never learned so much in such a short amount of time, both as a leader and a close-air support pilot," said Coggin. "I am also convinced that being in that environment made me the CAS pilot I am today, both through the priceless perspective I learned and the increased passion for the mission it gave me."

Coggin draws on his experience leading JTACs on the battlefield to help him conduct CAS training at the 188th's Detachment 1 Razorback Range. This training features unit-owned datalink system vests utilized by JTACs to communicate coordinates to the 188th's A-10s for use in CAS combat training scenarios. The 188th trains its own pilots and JTACs around the world on the use of this system.

Editor's note: Waiver processes allow Airmen to submit exceptions to policy to include past events that meet the award criteria. This AFCAM was for an event that transpired April 8-9, 2003. It was awarded at a wing commander's call Feb. 8, 2014, the first wing assembly following the approval and delivery of the AFCAM.

188th pilot earns Combat Action Medal for OIF work on the ground

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman John Hillier
  • 188th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
FORT SMITH, Ark. --  The wealth of skills and experience possessed by Guardsmen make them invaluable partners in the fight against America's adversaries.

188th Fighter Wing pilot Maj. Patric Coggin was awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal at a recent commander's call not for his work as a close-air support pilot but for one such mission on the ground while serving as a battalion air liaison officer attached to the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron during the offensive operation into Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The event in question was just one story from a two-month deployment with the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron," said Coggin. "While the events of the day described in the medal citation are very memorable, it was only one of a series of stories that I'll be able to share forever."

Combat Action Medals are awarded to Airmen who deliberately go outside the defended perimeter to conduct official duties - either ground or air, and come under enemy attack by lethal weapons while performing those duties, and experience high risk situations that place them in grave danger.

In the spring of 2003, Then-1st Lt. Coggin's duties were to lead a six-man Tactical Air Control Party and to advise battalion leadership on the use of air power. As a qualified Joint Terminal Attack Controller, Coggin also positioned himself with dismounted patrols so he could call in air strikes as required.

Coggin came upon indirect and direct enemy fire multiple times during the operation, including the clearance of Al Hillah, Iraq. He was located with the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment's main effort which was planned to clear from south to north through the city. Opposition was light until the approach to the Euphrates River, at which time friendly forces made contact with enemy forces.

Upon taking contact, Coggin dismounted to take a desirable observation position along the river. As he moved, he and the platoon he was with began taking effective small arms and machine gun fire from elevated positions on apartment buildings across the river. Coggin was completely exposed to enemy fire equipped only with individual protective equipment, an M-4 rifle and radios.

As enemy fire impacted all around the unit, Coggin and the platoon took a hasty defensive position behind a metal fence. Some members of the platoon returned fire while Coggin coordinated communications with the platoon and battalion leadership. While the extremely dense urban terrain and imprecise battle tracking made air strikes impossible, the information Coggin passed along allowed friendly armor forces to advance and neutralize the enemy position.

"I've never learned so much in such a short amount of time, both as a leader and a close-air support pilot," said Coggin. "I am also convinced that being in that environment made me the CAS pilot I am today, both through the priceless perspective I learned and the increased passion for the mission it gave me."

Coggin draws on his experience leading JTACs on the battlefield to help him conduct CAS training at the 188th's Detachment 1 Razorback Range. This training features unit-owned datalink system vests utilized by JTACs to communicate coordinates to the 188th's A-10s for use in CAS combat training scenarios. The 188th trains its own pilots and JTACs around the world on the use of this system.

Editor's note: Waiver processes allow Airmen to submit exceptions to policy to include past events that meet the award criteria. This AFCAM was for an event that transpired April 8-9, 2003. It was awarded at a wing commander's call Feb. 8, 2014, the first wing assembly following the approval and delivery of the AFCAM.