Air Commandos Earn Air Force Awards Published Nov. 2, 2007 By Ms. Dawn Hart AFSOC Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Four Air Commandos were recognized as best of the best for 2006 when they were presented Air Force-level awards Nov. 1 at the Crate Advanced Skills Training Center here. The award recipients were: Capt. Stewart Parker, 21st Special Tactics Squadron; Master Sgt. Anthony Baldwin, 720th Operations Support Squadron; Tech. Sgt. Richard Jaillet, 24th Special Tactics Squadron and Senior Airman Daniel Adams, 321st Special Tactics Squadron. Maj. Gen. Kurt Cichowski, special assistant to the Air Force Special Operations Command commander, presented the awards on behalf of Lt. Gen. Howie Chandler, Air Force deputy chief of staff for Air Space and Information Operations, Plans and Requirements. "Our special operations Airmen are out doing good things taking care of the enemies who want to destroy us and our way of life," said General Cichowski. The general said that in the past six months, special tactics officers and combat controllers have been involved in 404 troops in contact situations; they have controlled 586 fixed-wing close air support missions and 525 rotary-wing fire support missions. They also freed 10 hostages and saved an untold number of troops. He impressed upon everyone in attendance that although these Air Commandos are the "quiet professionals," they needed to be appreciated as "national treasures." The Air Force Special Tactics Officer of the Year award was presented to Captain Parker for leading his 15-man team of combat controllers during the global war on terrorism. His team killed 248 enemy combatants in Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Captain Parker fought alongside Army Special Forces and hunted the enemy, killing 70 in a single 14-hour battle. Despite constant gunfire, he saved the life of a soldier by guiding a helicopter to the landing zone for the soldier's evacuation. He was also credited with killing 72 enemies during a 21-hour battle. Sergeant Baldwin earned the Air Force Combat Control Senior NCO of the Year award as superintendent of current operations with the 24th STS in which he led squadron operations support for 1,400 missions, 400 alert sorties, 100 airstrikes, eight airfield surveys, 3,000 enemy killed or captured and 20 friendly lives saved. As deployed mission commander during Operation Enduring Freedom, Sergeant Baldwin led his teams of combat controllers, pararescuemen and support elements during 16 missions in which 51 enemies were captured and 17 were killed. The Air Force Combat Control NCO of the Year award was bestowed upon Sergeant Jaillet. He conducted more than 120 missions, killed more than 100 enemy combatants and detained 300 during the 184 days he was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. As the sole combat controller with an Army special forces team, he was personally credited with killing 50 enemy. On one occasion, he engaged several enemy forces with his personal weapon, forcing them back to a barricaded position. He then directed airstrikes onto the target buildings, killing 20 enemies and destroying their stronghold. He also developed a new restricted operating zone procedure that is now used as the command standard. Airman Adams was awarded the Air Force Combat Control Airman of the Year award for serving as the primary joint terminal attack controller with an Army special forces team in which he called in multiple CAS strikes and saved the lives of fellow soldiers during a blistering firefight. He conducted hundreds of combat patrols and was responsible for killing dozens of Taliban insurgents and saving Afghans during combat operations in Operation Enduring Freedom.