State's military earns its share of medals in war

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

Never in his soldiering career did Capt. John D. Williams imagine he would be standing before a three-star general at Schofield Barracks, getting a Bronze Star.

Capt. John D. Williams of the 25th Infantry Division (Light) receives a Bronze Star from U.S. Army Pacific commander Lt. Gen. James Campbell. Afterward, Campbell joined Williams and his fellow troops in a grueling run. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I know what the Bronze Star means and I know what men from previous conflicts all the way back to World War II and Korea and Vietnam had to go through to earn their Bronze Star," Williams, 28, said. "And I never thought in my wildest imagination that I could do a career in the Army ... and see a Bronze Star."

Williams' immediate reward? A 4-mile run in the rain with division artillery.

But the award is something that will be with him for the rest of his life.

"The Bronze Star — I don't mean to belabor the point, but that is something that when you walk through a military cemetery, you know, it's on your gravestone. Old, old veterans pass away in this country and they put the Bronze Star in their eulogy."

With Operation Iraqi Freedom in its ninth month, medals for heroism, bravery and meritorious service are starting to be seen, and Hawai'i — even with a relatively small contingent involved to date — already has its fair share.

Only about 110 Schofield Barracks soldiers deployed for the war, all as individual replacements.

Those numbers soon will change in a big way. Starting in February, the 25th Infantry Division (Light) — or Tropic Lightning — will have a brigade-sized presence in Iraq, with 4,500 soldiers deploying. Another 3,500 soldiers are leaving for Afghanistan in April.

Lt. Col. Armon Cioppa, the 25th's assistant chief of staff and personnel officer, said it's "a great achievement" to have a Bronze Star and a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient — a helicopter pilot — among the ranks of such a small group of soldiers.

"I think we ought to bang the drum for these guys and let everyone know just how significant their contributions were," Cioppa said.

Behind the medals are stories of nerve, dedication to country, perseverance, professionalism and worry. Hawai'i service members the Pentagon is banging the drum for include:

Navy Cmdr. Charles Doty, right, was awarded the Bronze Star. Coast Guard Cmdr. Christopher Smith, left, will receive the Bronze Star on Friday.

Marine 1st Lt. Jason Freier was nominated for the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with the Combat Distinguishing Device.

Chief Warrant Officer Alan Jewett received his second Distinguished Flying Cross.

• Navy Cmdr. Charles Doty, commander of the Pearl Harbor attack submarine USS Cheyenne, who fired the first sea-based salvo of Tomahawk missiles in the war and was awarded a Bronze Star.

• Marine 1st Lt. Jason Freier with the 1st Radio Battalion, whose improvisation made it possible to get Trojan Spirit advanced communications gear far afield for the first time.

Freier, a "consummate leader in a combat environment," according to the Marines, led his unit through a convoy attack in which a rocket passed within 2 feet of his head, but would also grab a shovel and pickax and dig fighting holes.

The 26-year-old was nominated for the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with the Combat Distinguishing Device.

• Coast Guard Cmdr. Christopher M. Smith, who commanded the cutter Walnut in the Persian Gulf and is receiving a Bronze Star on Friday.

Some who received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart made the ultimate sacrifice. Army Sgt. Eugene Williams, whose wife, Brandy, lives in Waipahu, was killed March 29 by a suicide bomber in Iraq.

Through August, the Army had awarded 30,636 medals, down from the 117,235 from the first Gulf War. With criticism of a medal glut in 1991, the Army directed commanders in March to make sure only the most deserving soldiers received medals.

The prestigious Bronze Star, authorized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944, is awarded for heroic or meritorious achievement during wartime.

John Williams, one of two artillery captains to deploy from Schofield, earned his as he fought through Iraq while attached to the 101st Airborne Division.

Williams was fire direction officer for 18 105 mm howitzers. With other units, 1,800 rounds were fired under his battalion's control as U.S. forces moved through Najaf, Karbala and Hillah, and later cleared south Baghdad, Mosul and Haditha.

"I think artillery was extremely effective," Williams said. "We achieved success in all three cities (to the south)." His citation says he "contributed enormously" to the 101st's success.

Jewett, 38, received the Distinguished Flying Cross for making repeated firing runs in his helicopter ahead of ground troops moving through Karbala on May 5. Several blocks into the city, he spotted a military training compound and he began to take and return fire.

"The small-arms fire — I wouldn't say there was a ton, but enough that I could hear (rounds) dinging into my aircraft," the pilot said. Rocket-propelled grenades exploded nearby.

Back at base, crews covered a hole in a tight-fit area with a cut-open Coca-Cola can. "I have a really cool picture of that," Jewett said.

"It (the firefight) was scary, I'm not going to say it wasn't scary," Jewett said. "But it's a risk that we are all aware of, and we take measures to mitigate the risks as best as we can."

After all, he said, "It's my mission. It's our job to support the ground guys 100 percent."

Jewett earned his first "DFC" 12 years earlier in Desert Storm scouting ahead and finding a Republican Guard tank line that had shot up three Bradley fighting vehicles the night before. An Iraqi tank fired a round at his helicopter and missed.

Both Jewett and Williams are deploying again. Jewett is going to Iraq and Williams to Afghanistan — a month after his wife, Miranda, is expected to give birth to their first child.

On the submarine USS Cheyenne at the start of the war, Doty didn't face much of a combat threat. But he had other concerns: getting three Tomahawk cruise missiles ready to fire on very short notice.

At a public gathering since the deployment, he recalled contemplating diving deep on March 19, but didn't, and then getting the call from "Alpha Alpha Strike," the strike controller, and a later command: "Cheyenne, spin up three missiles."

Cheyenne would be the "first to launch" in the war, a phrase the sub adopted as its motto. The Cheyenne first fired Tomahawks as part of the "decapitation" strike aimed at Saddam Hussein.

"Although we might have started the (strikes into Iraq), what was really going through my mind was 'Is this really going to work?' But it did work. We stayed on station and we conducted another five salvos," Doty said.

Three other Pearl Harbor submarine captains who fired Tomahawks also received Bronze Stars.

The Coast Guard's Smith, who commands the Honolulu-based 225-foot buoy tender Walnut, was cited for meritorious achievement and is expected to receive his Bronze Star on Friday.

The cutter and its 50-member crew originally were tasked with pollution response, but soon were shifted to logistical support, including providing assistance to security personnel on captured Iraqi offshore oil terminals.

Smith said his recognition is a reflection of his crew.

"I was ultimately responsible for the ship, but it was the outstanding dedication and work of my crew," Smith, 38, said. "They were the ones out there in the 123-degree heat working on buoys. They were the ones who shouldered the bulk of the uncertainty."

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.