The Army awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses to 15 aviators who participated in the initial air campaign of Operation Desert Storm in January 1991. This recognition was given on May 15, 2025, during the 2025 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit hosted by the Army Aviation Association of America in Nashville, Tennessee. The Distinguished Flying Cross is the fourth highest award for military valor.
The aviators had previously received Air Medals with “V” devices for valor for their historic mission. Retired Gen. Richard “Dick” Cody served as the battalion commander for the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment during Desert Storm and worked for several years to upgrade the medals for the aviators, who were part of Task Force Normandy.
Maj. Gen. Clair Gill, commanding general of the Aviation Center of Excellence and the Aviation branch chief, presented the awards. He stated, “This is one of those truly significant moments for us, both as an Army and as an Aviation branch.” He emphasized the importance of honoring those who came before and replicating their commitment demonstrated during the mission on January 17, 1991.
The task force comprising eight Army AH-64 Apache helicopters and four Air Force MH-53J Pave Low helicopters was divided into two teams, known as Red Team and White Team.
The Distinguished Flying Cross recipients from Red Team included:
– Chief Warrant Officer 4 Lewis Hall
– Warrant Officer Jerry Orsburn
– Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shawn Hoban
– Warrant Officer Tim Vincent
– Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Miller
– Warrant Officer Jody Bridgeforth
– Capt. Newman Shufflebarger
– Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tim Roderick
From White Team, the recipients included:
– Chief Warrant Officer 3 Dave Jones
– Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tip O’Neill
– Chief Warrant Officer 3 Ronald Rodriguez
– Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lee Miller
– Chief Warrant Officer 2 Tim Zarnowski
– Lt. Tom Drew
– Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brian Stewmon
– Lt. Col. Dick Cody
The teams played a crucial role in disabling Iraqi air defenses by destroying two early warning radar sites just 22 minutes before H-hour, establishing a 20-mile wide air corridor at the beginning of the air campaign.
During the mission, the Apache crews fired 27 Hellfire missiles, along with hundreds of rockets and thousands of rounds of 30mm ammunition. Their citation noted their “heroic actions” during the 15-hour mission, which took place in darkness 90 miles into enemy territory. The citation reflected that the eight crews of Task Force Normandy fired the first shots of Desert Storm, leading to the destruction of the Iraqi radar and ground control sites, officially inaugurating the allied air campaign.
Todd South, the author of this report, has extensive experience covering crime, courts, government, and military topics, having worked for various publications since 2004. He is also a Marine veteran of the Iraq War and was a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for a collaborative project on witness intimidation.
