West Coast,
A remarkable story ! What a lucky shot ! Well worth a decoration, I would have thought. Did he get one ? Were there any witnesses ? - or was it just his say-so ? (Reminds me of Wg.Cdr. Nicolson's VC [Google James Brindley Nicolson VC] in the Battle of Britain - in both cases the stories were believable, but without back-up are/were open to doubt).
And how and by whom was the photograph supposed to have been taken ? If that is the graticule of a Zero gunsight, then a mid-air is a split second away !
Now the side-story:
"
Reloading an A-10 takes Way More Than You Think" is well worth a look.
What a formidable beast ! Danny42C.