The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Staff Sergeant Cecil C. Gilbreath, United States Air Force, for gallantry in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United States at Konduz Province, Afghanistan, from 30 October 2009 to 6 November 2009. During this period, Sergeant Gilbreath displayed extraordinary bravery during two significant battles. On 2 November 2009, his Special Forces team and their Afghanistan National Army partners were attacked by 30 enemy fighters in a well-coordinated L-shaped ambush. As a mortar round landed 20 feet from his location and two rocket propelled grenade rounds impacted within 15 feet spraying his vehicle and helmet with shrapnel, he exposed himself to direct enemy fire to visually identify the enemies' position. He coordinated three separate pinpoint bomb strikes that devastated the insurgents and halted the attack. On 5 November 2009, Sergeant Gilbreath's team participated in a clearing operation of a local village occupied by an estimated 120 Taliban and foreign fighters. As bullets and shrapnel impacted his vehicle from all directions and the enemy closed on his team's position, Sergeant Gilbreath directed two immediate danger close strafing runs against insurgent fighters just 30 feet from his position. These attacks suppressed the nearest threats, but did little to deter the enemy force. For the next hour, Sergeant Gilbreath maintained his partially exposed position in the gun-truck and, without regard for his own safety, methodically decimated the enemy with eight more airstrikes. His actions turned the tide of the battle and allowed his team to defeat the enemy assault with no friendly casualties. By his gallantry and devotion to duty, Sergeant Gilbreath has reflected great credit upon himself and the United Stated Air Force

Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, pinned both medals to Gilbreath and praised him for his "tremendous poise, self-control and courage under fire."

"Caleb looked death in the face and did not cower from the situation," Fiel said during the ceremony, which was attended by Gilbreath's family and friends, Pope Field commanders, members of the 3rd Special Forces Group and some of Gilbreath's students at the Combat Control School.

Airman's Bravery Earns Silver Star

September 23, 2011
Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer by Drew Brooks 

Air Force Staff Sgt. Cecil C. Gilbreath, a former member of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, will be presented the medal by Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, during a ceremony on Pope Field.

Gilbreath is being recognized for his actions in Konduz province between Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, 2009, while working with Green Berets, according to AFSOC.

Gilbreath currently serves with the Combat Control School at Pope Field.

A citation that will accompany the Silver Star says Gilbreath "displayed extraordinary bravery during two significant battles."

In the first, the citation states that on Nov. 2, 2009, Gilbreath's Special Forces team and its Afghanistan National Army partners were ambushed by 30 enemy fighters, according to an AFSOC spokeswoman.

A mortar round landed 20 feet from Gilbreath, and two rocket-propelled grenade rounds struck less than 15 feet away, but Gilbreath held his ground and exposed himself to enemy fire while identifying enemy positions, according to the citation. He then coordinated three bomb strikes that devastated the insurgents and halted the attack.

Three days later, Gilbreath's team was clearing a village occupied by an estimated 120 Taliban and foreign fighters, according to the citation.

"As bullets and shrapnel impacted his vehicle from all directions and the enemy closed on his team's position, Sergeant Gilbreath directed two immediate ... strafing runs against insurgent fighters just 30 feet from his position," the citation reads. "These attacks suppressed the nearest threats, but did little to deter the enemy force."

For the next hour, without regard for his own safety, Gilbreath called in eight more airstrikes, turning the tide of the battle and allowing his team to defeat the enemy without a single casualty, according to the citation.


Combat Controller to receive Silver Star


By Scott Fontaine - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 23, 2011 15:14:18 EDT

A Combat Controller whose airstrikes helped his team overcome daunting odds during a pair of 2009 missions in Afghanistan is to receive the Silver Star today during a ceremony at Pope Field, N.C

Staff Sgt. Cecil Gilbreath, then of the 21st Tactics Squadron, was deployed with an Army Special Forces unit in Kunduz province when the troops came under fierce attack twice in four days.

The American troops and their Afghan counterparts were attacked Nov. 2, 2009, by 30 Taliban fighters using “a well-coordinated L-shaped ambush,” according to the Silver Star citation, parts of which were withheld for security concerns.

Two rocket-propelled grenades exploded within 15 feet of Gilbreath’s vehicle, and a mortar landed 20 feet away. Amid the fire, Gilbreath called in three “pinpoint bomb strikes that devastated the insurgents and halted the attack,” the citation reads.

Three days later, Gilbreath’s team was involved in a clearing operation of a village holding an estimated 120 Taliban and foreign fighters. The team came under heavy gunfire, and Gilbreath called in two “danger close” airstrikes on fighters about 30 feet away.

Gilbreath remained partially exposed to Taliban gunfire as he called in eight more airstrikes — which “methodically decimated the enemy.”

Gilbreath is now assigned to the Combat Control School at Pope. He will receive the Silver Star from Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command.



POPE ARMY AIR FIELD – A Pope Airman was awarded the Silver Star for his actions while under attack in Afghanistan two years ago.

Staff Sgt. Cecil Caleb Gilbreath risked his life while coordinating three separate attacks against enemy forces as they were closing in on his special forces team.

Gilbreath said he was just doing what he was trained to do.

"I did my job. I don't feel special. I feel like this is what I should've done and what anybody else that I train with, in any of the other Combat Control you saw siting in this room, would've done the same thing," Gilbreath said.

The Silver Star is awarded to a person in the Armed Forces who is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force.



21 STS Combat Controller awarded Silver Star
by Matt Durham
Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

9/29/2011 - POPE FIELD, N.C. (AFNS) -- When you are an Air Force Combat Controller in Afghanistan "just doing my job" can make for a very eventful day at the office.

That is how Staff Sgt. C. Caleb Gilbreath described his actions in a running firefight against the Taliban in Konduz Province Oct. 30 to Nov. 6, 2008, earning him a Silver Star for bravery.

Gilbreath was assigned to a U.S. Army Special Forces team when his unit was ambushed by a large Taliban force outside of a local village. As mortar and rocket-propelled grenade rounds impacted within 15 feet of his position, Gilbreath directed pinpoint bomb strikes that devastated the enemy and halted the attack, according to reports.

Later, Gilbreath's team began a clearing operation in a nearby village when they again came under attack from an estimated 120 Taliban and foreign fighters, officials said. Surrounded by the enemy, the team reached the center of the town as bullets and shrapnel impacted Gilbreath's vehicle from all directions.

As the tightly packed buildings made the teams withdrawal impossible, Gilbreath began to direct strafing runs against insurgent fighters dug-in just 30 feet from his position, according to the medal citation. For the next hour Gilbreath was in a partially exposed position in a gun truck, taking fire and directed eight more air strikes against the Taliban fighters. The close-air support turned the tide of the battle and allowed his team to defeat the enemy with no friendly casualties.

"I don't feel particularly special," Gilbreath said. "I believe any of the Combat Controllers I work with would have done the same thing. Everything just slows down and you execute."
Gilbreath, a former Army Ranger, received the Silver Star and a Bronze Star at a ceremony at Pope Field, N.C., on Sept. 23. Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel, the commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presided over the ceremony. He pinned the medal in front of a packed house of family members, friends and fellow Combat Controllers. Also looking on were members of the 3rd Special Forces Group, teammates of Gilbreath during the firefight.

"Caleb looked death in the face and did not cower from the situation," Fiel said. "He showed tremendous poise, self-control and courage under fire."

One ceremony speaker noted that, ironically, the section of Afghanistan the 3rd Special Forces Group was assigned to during the battle had been fairly quiet prior to Gilbreath's arrival.

A member of the 21st Special Tactics Squadron in 2009, Gilbreath is now an instructor at the Combat Control School here. There he teaches Combat Control candidates what he learned through combat.

"It's always a team thing...always," he said.

Lt. Col. Jerry Kung, the Commander of the 342nd Training Squadron, who oversees the school, said he hopes the candidates will learn from Gilbreath.
Calling Gilbreath "a machine" for the way he carried himself during what was a very high pressure and dangerous situation, Kung said he wasn't surprised the air commando was modest about his actions.
"There is no room for the individual," Kung said. "You do your job and the whole team succeeds. Anything else -- that does not work for us."