Captain Barry F. Crawford || Air Force Cross || Afghanistan
Distinguished Veteran Awardee Blog
written by Zachary Lohrman
Name of Veteran: Barry F. Crawford
Rank and Military Branch: Captain, United States Air Force
Award Name and Date of Action Leading to the Commendation: Air Force Cross, 4 May 2010
Captain Barry F. Crawford graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2003 and was commissioned a Special Tactics Officer of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron. On May 4, 2010, Capt. Crawford and a team of 100 Afghan commandos and Army Rangers entered the village of Hendor in the Laghman Province to remove insurgents in the area. Intelligence at the time said that the village was holding approximately 10 fighters to resist the team. It would later be revealed that enemy movement happened the night before the planned attack, compromising the mission. About 30 minutes into the mission the assault force received heavy machine gun and sniper fire from all sides around the village. This barrage lasted for more than 10 hours, and because of the enemy’s firepower, 2 were killed and 3 wounded. All 5 casualties were Afghani commandoes.
Realizing that the 3 wounded soldiers would die if they did not receive medical attention, Capt. Crawford risked his own life to preserve the wounded and the rest of his team. During the firefight Capt. Crawford coordinated with AH-64 Apaches and F-15 Strike Eagles to strafe and bomb enemy elements on the mountainside. Despite the torrential downpour of enemy fire, Capt. Crawford ran out in an open field so the helicopter pilot could locate him. Once the pilot found him, Capt. Crawford remained exposed as the pilot looked for a landing spot to evacuate the killed and wounded. Unfortunately, due to the intense fire, the helicopter could only pick up 4 of the 5 casualties and had to be called off.
Capt. Crawford continued coordinating with the Apaches and F-15s to keep the enemy from swarming into the village as he looked for a better landing zone to evacuate the last casualty. The landing was successful, and all 5 casualties have been evacuated. Now the entire force had to move out of the area. The entire team was led by Capt. Crawford along rugged terrain spanning 1.5 kilometers while being pinned down by enemy fire. Capt. Crawford still conducted Apache and F-15 pilots to complete strafing runs and drop 500 and 2000-pound bombs and Hellfire missile strikes. After 14 hours of constant fighting and oppressive enemy fire, Capt. Crawford, the Afghani commandoes, and the Army Rangers made it out of the area with no casualties other than the initial casualties. At the end of the day, Capt. Crawford controlled 33 aircraft and coordinated more than 40 airstrikes against the enemy. Enemy casualties totaled more than 80 insurgents killed, including 3 high-ranking commanders. Because of Capt. Crawford’s exceptional bravery, aggression towards the enemy, and airmanship during battle, Capt. Crawford rightfully earned the Air Force Cross.
Bibliography
Amy McCullough, “Caught
in the Crossfire,” AIR FORCE Magazine, June 2012.
National Guard, “Maryland
Air National Guard member awarded the Air Force Cross for ‘extraordinary
heroism’.” Accessed April 5, 2024. https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article-View/Article/575899/maryland-air-national-guard-member-awarded-the-air-force-cross-for-extraordinar/
The Gathering of
Eagles Foundation, “Crawford, Barry F.” Accessed April 5, 2024. https://goefoundation.org/eagles/crawford-barry-f/
The Hall of Valor Project, “BARRY CRAWFORD.” Accessed April 5, 2024. https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/54966
United States Air
Force 175th Wing, “'Battle of survival:' Special tactics officer
awarded Air Force Cross.” Accessed April 5, 2024. https://www.175wg.ang.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/448388/battle-of-survival-special-tactics-officer-awarded-air-force-cross/
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