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27-714: The engagement took place in the Kunduz area as part of the ISAF operations there and German participation in the war in Afghanistan. On April 2, 2010, soldiers from Paratrooper Battalion 373 from Seedorf were tasked with clearing up and removing booby traps. At around 1 P.M. local time, the 34 paratroopers, led by their company commander, came under ambush from 30 to 40 insurgents. Three soldiers were wounded early on, two of them seriously, Sergeant Naef Adebahr and Corporal Robert Hartert . The company commander called for reinforcements, whereupon

54-527: A reserve company from the Kunduz field camp set out. The engagement was observed with Luna and KZO reconnaissance drones . Fighter aircraft from the United States Military were also over the field, but were unable to intervene due to the risk of friendly fire. Senior Staff Surgeon Ulrike Hödel and Sergeant Major Gerhard Haben worked as medics in the combat zone to treat the wounded, who were later picked up by US Black Hawk helicopters under fire at

81-446: A special version for their outstanding achievements. The American soldiers Robert McDonough , Steven Husted , Jason LaCrosse , Nelson Visaya , Jason Brown , Sean Johnson , Eric Wells , Travis Brown , William Ebel , Antonio Gattis , Steven Shumaker , Matthew Baker , Todd Marchese and Gregory Martinez were recognized for their outstanding service. A special gold cross of honor was also awarded for his achievements in rescuing

108-555: Is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces . The medal was established on July 2, 1926, and is currently awarded to any persons who, after April 6, 1917, distinguish themselves by single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. Both heroism and extraordinary achievement are entirely distinctive, involving operations that are not routine. The medal may be awarded to friendly foreign military members in ranks equivalent to

135-672: Is now located. In Bielefeld-Quelle, after some political discussion, a place in memory of Corporal Martin Kadir Augustyniak was named after him and decorated with a memorial stone and an information stele. Civilian pickup trucks carrying soldiers from the Afghan army were mistakenly shot at by a Marder armored personnel carrier from the reserve company. During the approach, the German soldiers feared another attack by insurgents and gave signals to stop. Since these were ignored, shelling ensued and six of

162-808: The "C" Device for meritorious service or achievement under combat conditions. In July 2014, the United States Senate passed the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act . The act was sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer , to designate the Distinguished Flying Cross Memorial at March Field Air Museum adjacent to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California , as a national memorial to recognize members of United States Armed Forces who have distinguished themselves by heroism in aerial flight. The act

189-472: The "V" device. On January 7, 2016, a Secretary of Defense memorandum standardized the use of the "V" device as a valor-only device across the services. The Department of Defense published "DOD Manuals 1348.33, Volumes 1-4, DOD Military Decorations and Awards" which unified the criteria for awards. DOD 1348.33. "Army Regulation 600-8-22, Military Awards" authorizes use of the "V" Device with the DFC for combat valor and

216-632: The 2nd Infantry Company in the Kunduz camp that had been set up. They have now found their place in a memorial room of the paratrooper regiment in Seedorf. Sergeant Major Nils Bruns , Corporal Robert Hartert , and Corporal Martin Augustyniak , all from Paratrooper Battalion 373, were killed in the engagement.[2] They are commemorated, among other places, in the Forest of Remembrance, where the Kunduz Grove of Honor

243-424: The 41st Mechanized Brigade of the I Corps (Netherlands) . On August 1, 2006, the military unit was disbanded and the base was transferred to Germany, where it became the new base of Bundeswehr 's 31st Airborne Brigade . This Rotenburg district location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) The Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC )

270-547: The Atlantic Ocean earlier that year. The only Distinguished Flying Cross for World War I service was posthumously awarded on June 14, 2017, when 95th Aero Squadron Commander and Army Captain James Ely Miller was recognized for his actions on March 9, 1918, which made him the first American aviator serving with an American unit to die in that war. During World War II, the medal's award criteria varied widely depending on

297-593: The Distinguished Flying Cross are shown with bronze or silver Oak Leaf Clusters for the Army, Air Force, and Space Force, and gold and silver 5 ⁄ 16 Inch Stars for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. The Army, Air Force, Space Force, Navy, and Marine Corps may authorize the "V" device for wear on the DFC to denote valor in combat. The services can also award the DFC for extraordinary achievement without

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324-667: The Medal of Honor for their historic flight to the North Pole on May 9, 1926. Numerous recipients of the medal earned greater fame in other occupations; a number of astronauts, actors, and politicians have been Distinguished Flying Cross recipients, including President George H. W. Bush . The DFC may be retroactively awarded to recognize notable accomplishments made at any time after the beginning of American participation in World War I . On February 23, 1929, Congress passed special legislation to allow

351-632: The U.S. paygrade of O-6 and below in combat or support operations. The first award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was made by President Calvin Coolidge on May 2, 1927, to ten aviators of the U.S. Army Air Corps who had participated in the Army Pan American Flight which took place from December 21, 1926, to May 2, 1927. Two of the airmen died in a mid-air collision trying to land at Buenos Aires on February 26, 1927, and received their awards posthumously. The award had only been authorized by Congress

378-597: The award of the DFC to the Wright brothers for their December 17, 1903, flight. Other civilians who have received the award include Wiley Post , Jacqueline Cochran , Roscoe Turner , Amelia Earhart , Glenn H. Curtiss , and Eugene Ely . Eventually, it was limited to military personnel by an Executive Order. Amelia Earhart became the first woman to receive the DFC on July 29, 1932, when it was presented to her by Vice President Charles Curtis in Los Angeles for her solo flight across

405-483: The award to be given to any person who distinguishes themselves "by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight" while serving in any capacity with the Air Corps. The Distinguished Flying Cross was designed by Elizabeth Will and Arthur E. DuBois. The medal is a bronze cross pattee , on whose obverse is superimposed a four-bladed propeller , 1 11/16 inches in width. Five rays extend from

432-548: The engagement and a critical statement from one of the soldiers involved can be found in the NDR podcast “Killed in Action – Germany at War”. As part of Operation Door, the doors of the destroyed Dingo combat vehicle were recovered on September 9, 2011 by Panzergrenadiers from a combat unit of Task Force Kunduz III (training and protection battalion) in Isakhel , and later at the grove of honor of

459-484: The engagement between the German paratroopers and the insurgents continued, four more soldiers were wounded. It was only after eight hours of fighting that the reserve company was able to relieve the paratroopers, who then returned to the Kunduz field camp, which they reached around 9:50 p.m. During the course of the engagement, the Bundeswehr soldiers fired over 25,000 shots. The engagement lasted nine hours. A description of

486-570: The first time and had to learn to fight. That was a turning point – not only for the Bundeswehr, but also for German society.” It was the first military operation since the Second World War in which several German soldiers died in combat. Defense Minister at the time was Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg . Seedorf, Lower Saxony Seedorf is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg , in Lower Saxony , Germany . From 1963 to 2006, it hosted

513-419: The landing zone and flown to the German operational hospital in Kunduz. While trying to break away from the enemy, a dingo fell into a booby trap at around 2:50 p.m. Four paratroopers were wounded (three of them seriously), including Sergeant Major Nils Bruns and Corporal Martin Augustyniak. At the same time, around 40 insurgents attacked a nearby Afghan police camp at 3:35 p.m.; this attack could be repelled. As

540-617: The medal being awarded. For example, George McGovern received one for the successful completion of a bombing mission in which his aircraft lost an engine and then was landed safely. On December 28, 1944, Aleda Lutz became the first military woman to receive the DFC, which she received posthumously. The Distinguished Flying Cross was authorized by Section 12 of the United States Army Air Corps Act enacted by Congress on July 2, 1926, as amended by Executive Order 7786 on January 8, 1938 and USC 10, 9279. This act provided for

567-738: The previous year and no medals had yet been struck, so the Pan American airmen initially received only certificates. Among the ten airmen were Major Herbert Dargue , Captains Ira C. Eaker and Muir S. Fairchild , and First Lieutenant Ennis C. Whitehead . Charles Lindbergh received the first presentation of the actual medal about a month later from Coolidge during the Washington, D.C., homecoming reception on June 11, 1927, from his trans-Atlantic flight. The medal had hurriedly been struck and readied just for that occasion. The 1927 War Department General Order (G.O. 8) authorizing Lindbergh's DFC states that it

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594-589: The reentrant angles, forming a one-inch square. The reverse is blank; it is suitable for engraving the recipient's name and rank. The cross is suspended from a rectangular bar. The suspension and service ribbon of the medal is 1 3/8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes: 3/32 inch Ultramarine Blue 67118; 9/64 inch White 67101; 11/32 inch Ultramarine Blue 67118; 3/64 inch White 67101; center stripe 3/32 inch Old Glory Red 67156; 3/64 inch White 67101; 11/32 inch Ultramarine Blue 67118; 9/64 inch White 67101; 3/32 inch Ultramarine Blue 67118. Additional awards of

621-553: The soldiers were killed. According to the head of Afghan intelligence, at least five Taliban were killed in the engagement, including a local leader. Mario Kunert , Philipp Oliver Pordzik , Ralf Rönckendorf , Maik Mutschke , Robert Hartert and Martin Kadir Augustyniak were awarded the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor for their efforts. Nils Bruns, Ulrike Hödel and Gerhard Haben received the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor in gold in

648-526: The theater of operations, aerial combat that was engaged in, and the missions that were accomplished. In the Pacific, commissioned officers were often awarded the DFC, while enlisted men were given the Air Medal . In Europe, some crews received it for their overall performance through a tour of duty. The criteria used were however not consistent between commands or over time. Individual achievement could also result in

675-590: The wounded. LaCrosse was also awarded the Silver Star, and the others (except Baker and Martinez) received the Distinguished Flying Cross . Ralf Rönckendorf, who saved the life of a comrade under fire and lost his eyesight, was honored with the Bambi media prize in 2011. Former German Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière said after the engagement: “Kunduz, for us this is the place where the Bundeswehr fought for

702-693: Was awarded by the president, while the General Order (G.O. 6) for the Pan American Flyers' DFC citation notes that the War Department awarded it "by direction of the President." The first Distinguished Flying Cross to be awarded to a Naval aviator was received by Commander Richard E. Byrd , USN for his trans-Atlantic flight from June 29 to July 1, 1927, from New York City to the coast of France. Byrd and his pilot Machinist Floyd Bennett had already received

729-470: Was signed into law by President Barack Obama on July 25, 2014. This is not a complete list, as it does not include individuals who are known only for receiving the DFC. Note: the rank indicated is the highest ever held by the person. Note: Although astronaut Neil Armstrong 's achievements as an aviator and an astronaut more than exceeded the requirements for the DFC, he was a civilian for his entire career with NASA, requiring an act of Congress to award

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