thedrifter
12-23-02, 07:06 AM
http://beaufortgazette.com/ips_rich_content/Bond,-Brantley-Dist.jpg
Bob Sofaly/Gazette
Maj. Brant Bond poses for a picture at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on Tuesday.
Published Wed, Dec 18, 2002
By MICHAEL KERR
Gazette staff writer
• Other stories by Michael Kerr
Flying above Afghanistan about a month after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Maj. Brant Bond wasn't thinking about receiving a medal.
On Oct. 25, 2001, the pilot with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 Thunderbolts was concerned only with neutralizing Taliban forces from aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
After receiving word from ground troops who were under heavy Taliban fire, Bond, who wasn't scheduled to fly that day, destroyed several anti-aircraft weapons and sent the Taliban scattering.
Bond's actions on that day earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on Tuesday.
The Flying Cross is the 13th-highest honor that can be awarded in the Armed Forces, and is awarded to a person who displays heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Charles Lindbergh received the first Flying Cross medal in 1927 for his flight from New York to Paris.
"It was a surprise, to be honest," Bond said after receiving the award. "It was a good kind of surprise."
Bond recalled the flight over the Taliban after receiving the citation from Col. David Peeler, Marine Aircraft Group 31 commanding officer.
"They (Taliban) were camouflaged and hard to pick up at first," he said. But once he caught sight and destroyed the first Taliban target, the others scattered.
"Pretty much everything broke loose from there," Bond said. "I'm lucky to have a good airplane with everything working as advertised."
Bond attributes his success, and the success of the mission, to the teamwork between he and the other five pilots involved.
"The other five guys up there did a great job and deserve recognition for it," Bond said. "It's all about teamwork up there. It has nothing to do with the individual."
Sempers,
Roger
Bob Sofaly/Gazette
Maj. Brant Bond poses for a picture at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on Tuesday.
Published Wed, Dec 18, 2002
By MICHAEL KERR
Gazette staff writer
• Other stories by Michael Kerr
Flying above Afghanistan about a month after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Maj. Brant Bond wasn't thinking about receiving a medal.
On Oct. 25, 2001, the pilot with the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 Thunderbolts was concerned only with neutralizing Taliban forces from aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
After receiving word from ground troops who were under heavy Taliban fire, Bond, who wasn't scheduled to fly that day, destroyed several anti-aircraft weapons and sent the Taliban scattering.
Bond's actions on that day earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on Tuesday.
The Flying Cross is the 13th-highest honor that can be awarded in the Armed Forces, and is awarded to a person who displays heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Charles Lindbergh received the first Flying Cross medal in 1927 for his flight from New York to Paris.
"It was a surprise, to be honest," Bond said after receiving the award. "It was a good kind of surprise."
Bond recalled the flight over the Taliban after receiving the citation from Col. David Peeler, Marine Aircraft Group 31 commanding officer.
"They (Taliban) were camouflaged and hard to pick up at first," he said. But once he caught sight and destroyed the first Taliban target, the others scattered.
"Pretty much everything broke loose from there," Bond said. "I'm lucky to have a good airplane with everything working as advertised."
Bond attributes his success, and the success of the mission, to the teamwork between he and the other five pilots involved.
"The other five guys up there did a great job and deserve recognition for it," Bond said. "It's all about teamwork up there. It has nothing to do with the individual."
Sempers,
Roger