Louisville, KY., 123rd Special Tactics Squadron



Kentucky Air Guardsmen honored for heroism, meritorious service in Afghanistan
by Maj. Dale Greer
123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

1/15/2014 - KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Eight Airmen from the Kentucky Air National Guard were honored with prestigious medals here Sunday for their heroism and meritorious service in Afghanistan, where they engaged enemy forces in lethal combat and helped build a sustainable farming economy.

The adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, presented the medals during a ceremony held before a standing room-only audience of more than 400 coworkers, friends and family at the 123rd Airlift Wing. The decorations, all earned for recent deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, included the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal with Valor and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

The next two Airmen to be honored are Combat Controllers assigned to the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron. Combat Controllers are FAA-certified air traffic controllers who deploy undetected into hostile environments to establish assault zones or airfields while simultaneously conducting air traffic control, fire support, command and control, direct action, counter-terrorism, foreign internal defense, humanitarian assistance and special reconnaissance.

The first of the two Combat Controllers, Tech. Sgt. Jeff Kinlaw, earned a Bronze Star Medal with Valor for heroism while engaged in ground operations against the enemy near Kamdesh Village, Nuristan Province, from April 11 to 16, 2012. On April 12, while serving as the primary Joint Terminal Attack Controller for a combined United States Special Forces team and an Afghanistan Commando unit, Kinlaw battled Taliban fighters for 14 hours.
"On this day, a highly motivated enemy initiated a coordinated assault with small-arms, medium machine-gun and sniper fire," the citation said.

Kinlaw voluntarily and continuously placed himself in plain sight of the enemy to protect the lives of his teammates. When the Taliban advance initiated, he surrendered his protected position and bounded through open terrain to support a pinned-down element in dire need of help.

"During the heaviest volleys of enemy fire, Sergeant Kinlaw low-crawled to unprotected areas in order to ensure the supporting aircraft could successfully identify and engage well-hidden insurgent fighting positions," the citation said. "Using his hand-held laser marker, he coordinated multiple air-to-ground attacks on strongholds within 100 meters of his position.

"Later during the enemy advance, while continuing to control air strikes, he again surrendered cover and went into the direct line of enemy fire to locate a suitable helicopter landing zone to evacuate the wounded in action. Sergeant Kinlaw remained exposed until the extraction was complete."
Above; Kentucky’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, presents Tech. Sgt. Jeff Kinlaw, a Combat Controller in the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, with the Bronze Star Medal with Valor during an award ceremony held Jan. 12, 2014 at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. Kinlaw earned the award for heroism while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan in 2012.

During the 14-hour attack, Kinlaw successfully engaged seven enemy fighting positions and three Taliban-dominated structures, killed 18 insurgents and weakened the adversary's advance.

The second Combat Controller to be honored, Tech. Sgt. Robert Bonello, earned a Bronze Star Medal with Valor for heroism while engaged in ground operations against the enemy in Faryab Province on April 14, 2012.
On that date, Bonello served as the primary Joint Terminal Attack Controller assigned to an Army Special Forces Team. While conducting a time-sensitive air assault mission, his team was directly engaged by enemy forces. Bonello "skillfully prosecuted targets with the air assets overhead" and then proceeded to execute another time-sensitive mission when his team was pinned down by a barrage of heavy machine gun fire, the citation said.

"After an interpreter and an Afghan Commando were wounded, Sergeant Bonello broke cover, pulled the critically wounded interpreter to cover, and relayed a request for close-air support and a medical evacuation," according to the citation. "Although Sergeant Bonello was under direct fire for over three hours, he flawlessly directed a coordinated attack consisting of four 500-pound bombs, two Hellfire missiles, and multiple strafes from fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. His courage and technical expertise saved the lives of his teammates and resulted in 16 confirmed enemy killed in action."

Bonello also was awarded a second Bronze Star Medal on Sunday, for meritorious achievement while engaged in ground combat against the enemy from Nov. 16, 2011 to May 1, 2012. During this time, Bonello served as the primary Joint Terminal Attack Controller attached to an Army Special Forces Team.
Above; Kentucky’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, presents Tech. Sgt. Robert Bonello, a Combat Controller in the 123rd Special Tactics Squadron, with the Bronze Star Medal with Valor during an award ceremony held Jan. 12, 2014 at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky. Bonello earned the award for heroism while conducting combat operations in Afghanistan in 2012.

While conducting deliberate clearing operations in remote areas across northern Afghanistan, he controlled 160 rotary- and fixed-wing assets and conducted 40 combat missions, including 12 helicopter assaults, according to the citation.

"Sergeant Bonello also controlled 30 helicopter landing zone sorties and four medical evacuations resulting in the life-saving treatment of three wounded Afghan Commandos and a local national interpreter," the citation said. "On five different occasions, Sergeant Bonello was decisively engaged by enemy forces. During each engagement, he calmly and methodically coordinated intimidating displays of airpower to decimate the enemy with limited collateral damage and no civilian casualties. His courage and technical expertise saved the lives of his teammates on multiple occasions and resulted in 47 confirmed enemy killed in action."