Does anyone have contacts in the desert right now? A TACP I know told me a funny story that happened the other day about the Army calling for CAS. Wanted to know who took the call. Here's his \"transcript\" of how the Army called for it:
Quote:
Here's something funny.
The A-10s engaged bad guys who were putting very heavy fire on a good guy element, pinning them down. We did the four gun runs, saving friendly lives and helping those guys complete their mission.
The Army guys who we saved are getting medals for their actions. That is, for their \"Call For Fire.\" As I recall, their \"Call For Fire\" went basically like this:
Us: We have A-10s on station. Are you guys taking contact again?
Them: Affirm. Where are the helicopters?
Us: There aren't any. We have A-10s. Where are you taking fire from?
Them: The palm grove.
Us: Roger, give us a minute.
We aren't getting any medals. Our command says \"Your job was to control air, and that's what you did. You don't get medals for that.\" I agree with them; the idea of a medal never crossed my mind.