http://www.airspacemag.com/issues/2007/ ... stones.php
Moments & Milestones
Captain Markle’s Mackay
By Bettina Haymann Chavanne
The mackay trophy, established in 1911 by Clarence Mackay—aviation enthusiast, philanthropist, and head of the Postal Telegraph-Commercial Cable Companies—is a stately piece of silver. And it has been awarded, in conjunction with the National Aeronautic Association, to aviation giants like General Henry “Hap” Arnold (the first recipient, in 1912) and World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker for the most meritorious U.S. Air Force flight of the year.
This year’s recipient, Air Force Captain Scott Markle, e-mailed Air & Space recently about the events that earned him the honor. He wrote from Lakenheath Air Force Base, England, where the 81st Fighter Squadron is stationed temporarily while the runway is being repaired at his home base, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
The Mackay Trophy recognizes your heroic flight over southern Afghanistan on June 16, 2006. Can you tell us more about what happened that day?
I led a two-ship of A-10s from Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan…when we were [sent unexpectedly] to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to support a 15-person foot patrol of U.S. special forces [who came up against] over 40 Taliban fighters. We arrived 30 minutes before sunrise, and with our night-vision goggles we could see rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns, and small arms fire coming from three mountain ridges that surrounded the special forces team…. The team’s radio controller informed us they were engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy on the valley floor and were taking direct hits from the enemy above.
The enemy was too close to the special forces team for the pilots to use their weapons, so Markle made several low passes. Each time the A-10 passed overhead, the Taliban stopped firing, and the special forces team pulled back until they were 100 feet away from the enemy. At that point, Markle was authorized to use his 30-millimeter gun, which provided the team enough cover to draw back even farther. Markle was authorized to drop his 500-pound bombs, but initially resisted because of the proximity of the team—the bomb burst can reach 1,300 feet.
I agreed to drop the bombs only if the team took cover behind a group of rocks. Once the team was safe, we dropped two bombs on the enemy, ceasing all remaining enemy fire…. All 15 special forces members made it out alive.
Did you always want to fly when you were a kid?
My father retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel when I was eight years old. I don’t remember much about the military lifestyle, but my family always attended the annual airshow at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. I’ve been fascinated with airplanes my whole life, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school when Operation Desert Storm started that I decided I wanted to join the military. I attended Texas Tech University and was lucky enough to receive a pilot training slot after my junior year. Following pilot training at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma, I was selected to fly my number-one choice, the A-10; [I’ve been flying it] since 2000.
AdvertisementWhich aircraft would you like to fly? And what has been your favorite during your career?
The answer to both questions is the P-51 Mustang. When I fly missions over Europe, I often wonder what it must have been like to fly the P-51 during World War II. I would love to own a P-51 someday, but they are pretty expensive.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
![[salute]](./images/smilies/smiley_salute.gif "Salute")
