Bronze Star Medal awarded to dragonslayers

  • Published
  • By Carol O'Maley
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Bronze Star Medals were awarded to three 56th Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen who routinely risked life and limb to fulfill their duties during recent Mideast combat
support operation deployments. For  one recipient, Tech. Sgt. Vincent Pagano, it was his second Bronze Star Medal. 

Master Sgt. Randall Kinser Jr. and Tech. Sgts. Cary Gibson and Pagano were honored Monday morning with medals presented by Brig. Gen. Tom Jones, 56th Fighter Wing commander, during a 56th CES commander's call at the base theater. 

Sergeant Kinser, 56th CES Structures NCO in charge, was recognized for his work with Task  Force Tiger from July 10, 2006, to Dec. 31, 2006, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom during combat operations at Bagram Airfeld and across Afghanistan. 

Sergeants Gibson and Pagano, 56th CES Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight team leaders, were recognized for their service from  Aug. 9, 2006, to Jan. 21, 2007, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom during combat operations in Iraq.  Their main duty was to protect coalition forces and Iraqi nationals by disarming improvised explosive devices. This was their second combat deployment together, having served in Baghdad in 2005, where they also disarmed IEDs. 

Last year, Sergeant Pagano received a Bronze Star Medal and Sergeant Gibson received a U.S. Army Commendation Medal, both for their 2005 service in Baghdad. 

Sergeant Kinser served as prime base engineer emergency force superintendent of a 52-troop multiskilled maintenance and repair team at Bagram and at forward operating bases across Afghanistan.  He was responsible for directly supporting $164 million in military construction projects, by coordinating U.S. Army and Air Force, coalition and contract personnel. His efforts resulted in timely and ahead-of-schedule completion of several facility construction and upgrade projects. 

Sergeant Kinser convoyed several times under direct threat of enemy fire to Nuristan province in Afghanistan, where he helped plan and complete ahead of schedule the $500,000 critical site build-up for the beddown of more than 120 personnel. He also was the driving force behind the completion of a $24,000 dining facility upgrade project at FOB Gardez in Afghanistan. 

Additionally, Sergeant Kinser led a five-man engineer team at Panjshir FOB, Afghanistan, where a severely undersized electrical service had posed a serious fire hazard before he and his team completely rewired it. He also led a team outside the base in the construction of facilities for a short-notice groundbreaking ceremony of the first-ever $6 million facility that produces 200,000 bottles of drinking water per day in Afghanistan. That event received praise from the vice president of Afghanistan and many other coalition force senior military leaders in attendance. 

Sergeants Gibson and Pagano both served as EOD team chiefs in the 506th
Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron at Kirkuk Regional Air Base in Iraq.  Additionally, Sergeant Gibson served as an EOD team chief at FOB Bernstein, south of
Kirkuk. 

Their leadership was critical to the successful implementation of the U.S. Central Command's counter insurgent operations, ensuring freedom of movement throughout the 2-35 Infantry Battalion Area of Operations, and the safety of more than 16,000 coalition forces, multinational contractors and local nationals. 

Sergeant Pagano executed more than 150 combat missions under the threat of insurgent attacks to exploit, render-safe, recover and destroy IEDs, unexploded ordnance, post-blast analyses and weapons caches within a 42,000 square kilometer area.  While supporting the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, he rendered safe and destroyed 61 IEDs strategically placed along critical supply routes. 

Sergeant Gibson executed more than 130 combat missions under the threat of insurgent attacks. While supporting the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, he rendered safe and destroyed 39 IEDs placed along critical supply routes. 

The two teams each disarmed as many as four IEDs a day. Their work protected coalition forces and Iraqi nationals by keeping roads open and the U.S. main supply route clear of IEDs. 

Sergeant Pagano's exceptional leadership was evident during a vehicle-born IED attack against Iraqi security forces in the city of Kirkuk. He remotely interrogated the vehicle, determined it was a credible VBIED, directed the placement of a disruption charge and eliminated the firing circuit, which removed the immediate hazard. He then collected 700 pounds of home-made explosives and firing system components to help identify the VBIED cell responsible.
 
On another occasion, Sergeant Pagano's steadiness under fire prevented further loss of life. The lead vehicle in his convoy struck an IED and was thrown 20 meters. He alted the convoy and cleared a safe path to the injured soldiers, then rendered first aid, nd called in an air medical evacuation request. Without losing composure, he then erformed a post blast analysis to collect evidence. His actions allowed for immediate edical care, prevented any further losses to his team, and allowed the mission to continue. 

Sergeant Gibson exhibited outstanding leadership while engaging three IEDs on a two-kilometer section of road during a route clearance mission. Fully aware of nsurgents monitoring coalition activities, Sergeant Gibson adjusted his techniques on ach IED. Once he rendered them safe, he moved the IEDs to a disposal site without amaging the heavily traveled alternate supply route. His actions recovered all initiating omponents and prevented development of countermeasures by the enemy. 

On another occasion, Sergeant Gibson responded to an IED attack designed to target first responders. The device contained a tilt switch, intended to detonate the device if oved. He used his expertise to eliminate the threat and recover its unique initiating omponents. His decisive actions not only yielded valuable intelligence about the bomb, but also provided his teammates with insight about how to defeat similar devices in the future. 

The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to U.S. military servicemembers who have istinguished themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing enemy force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.