Royal Air Force Pilot gets DFC

[chinook240]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/chris-gordon-raf-pilot-honoured-1781124

[Chugalug2]

What can one say? I'm just left speechless by the courage and sense of duty recognised here. I'm sure that Flt Lt Gordon would be the first to say that it was his crew, not he alone, who performed this noble deed. They have added to the ever growing scroll of honour of the Royal Air Force. I salute them all.
Chris Gordon: RAF pilot honoured for life or death helicopter rescue mission - Mirror Online (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/chris-gordon-raf-pilot-honoured-1781124)

[Wander00]

I am confused, but then I am getting old - do those awarded bravery medals no longer go to BP for their medals to be presented by the Sovereign or another member of the Royal Family.

[SASless]

Hand Salute! Well Done that Crew! Wokka's are tough old Birds and appear to be manned by Crews we ALLcan respect and admire.:D

The old Chinook is a pretty tough and remarkable Bird!:ok:

[BlackIsle]

"Salute" and utmost respect for his, and the crew's, bravery and skill :D

[SOSL]

What a fantastic effort! What impresses me is not only the raw courage but also the immense piloting skill. Also, it has to be said, the whole crew must have done their utmost.

Rgds SOS

[ericferret]

True Grit.........

[Wrathmonk]

Wander00

Hoping not to be the victim of a wah here ..... but when the Mirror says "received at" what they really meant was "announced at" - a selection of the recipients were 'unveiled' to the press at the same time as the Operational Honours and Awards list was released.

Of course if you had said "don't they wear their No 1's to receive their awards" then I would have known you were on a wind-up mission rather than just being old!:E

[Wander00]

WM - thanks, I am relieved - I am pleased that gallantry and other awards are presented with due ceremony..........and in appropriate dress!

[chinook240]

Only in a Chinook!

[Courtney Mil]

That was a truly outstanding deed, in the best traditions of the Royal Air Force. My deepest respect to him and his crew.

[rolandpull]

Wow, team effort and credit where its due. The right guys keep coming to the right fleet.

[Evalu8ter]

Chinook 240,
This citation (along with several others) should be placed in a folder and waved under the nose of politicians if they EVER try to interfere in future Med-Heavy RW procurements by bullying the RAF into buying anything else.

Awesome aircraft, awesome airmanship.

[kintyred]

A truly amazing feat by a wonderful bloke. Hats of to you fella....and to your valaint crew....and once again thanks to Mr Frank Piasecki!

[MightyGem]

Outstanding effort by him and his crew. Well done. :D :D

[Tankertrashnav]

Amazing to think that the first DFC awarded to a Chinook pilot was over 30 years ago, that awarded to Squadron leader Richard Lawrence AFC for operations during the Falklands campaign in the only surviving Chinook from the Atlantic Conveyor sinking.

A great credit to the aircraft and of course to Flight Lieutenant Gordon and his crew :ok:

[Lingo Dan]

I think the Falklands DFC was awarded to the late Dick Langworthy.

Amazing nevertheless, though!

[Tankertrashnav]

My apologies, Langworthy it was - where I got Lawrence from seeing as I had the LG in front of me at the time I have no idea!

Thanks for the correction.

[Lowe Flieger]

It gives you the tingles and does the soul good to read a such a positive story about some of our brave young men. A very heart-warming change from some others of a very different ilk who regularly hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons and use up precious oxygen. I guess I am just an old softy at heart.

LF

[Wander00]

I have never been a helicopter pilot so I am a bit awe-struck by this incident being conducted on one engine, and 30 troops lifted - how far outside the normal operating parameters is this? All I can say is the pilot is not only extremely brave, he is an extremely skilled pilot too, and crew co-operation must have been exceptional. Very, very well done. I doff my cap.

[Old-Duffer]

There's a nice little story surrounding the late Richard Ulric Langworthy DFC AFC and it concerns whether or not his name should be included on the panels of the SH Memorial, at that time being constructed at Odiham. The concern focused on whether Dick, who did not die in an accident or from enemy action, could be added. It was eventually decided that although his death was from natural causes, it happened between signing the aircraft out and signing it back in again: hence he was deemed eligible.

Returning to the main thrust of this Thread and in no way wishing to detract from the exceptional bravery shown, I wonder why there appears never to have been a gallantry award (DFC/AFC) - except SAR - to either a co-pilot or importantly one of the guys or girls down the back. I believe the decision to do away with NCO related awards (DFM/AFM/CGM Flying) in about 1994 has a direct influence on this. On a related subject and again not wishing to detract from the Thread's main topic, the RAF always seems to be very parsimonious in making awards and I know from experience of the system that it does not work as I believed it ought. That is not suggest that we need unfettered dishing out of awards but perhaps a greater realism relative to our army friends.

Congratulations to Flt Lt Gordon DFC.

Old Duffer

PS I think the last 'in enemy action' award to an SH crewman/woman might have been in Gulf War One - 'elementary my dear Watson'!

[dmussen]

I was unaware that awards for N.C.Os were canned in1994.
Who one earth thought that one up. What a disgrace.
However, 30 blokes on one donk under fire. Well done young man.
D.

[Chinny Crewman]

The DFM etc was abolished and the DFC etc made available to all ranks.
Flt Lt Pollard was the co-pilot when he earned his DFC and several crewmen have been awarded various commendations and been MiD however it is entirely appropriate that the aircraft captain gets the main award (as long as he buys the crewmen a beer at exchange drinks!).
Well done to Gordo and everyone else on the list.

[Whenurhappy]

I see that a USMC Captain was also awarded the DFC in the latest Operational Honours List. Without digging too deeply into this particular case (given that there is no citation or narrative provided in any OS material) can Ppruners give an indication of how widely/frequently has the DFC been awarded to non-Commonwealth aircrew? I passed on to my US colleagues the good news, stating that it was a rarity - but how many US Sp have been awarded similar gallantry awards in modern times?

[Basil]

'Get out of jail' card in hand and still did the biz. Knew his aircraft SE perf. Respect!

[Tankertrashnav]

I was unaware that awards for N.C.Os were canned in1994.
Who one earth thought that one up. What a disgrace.



That's an interesting take on the decision to merge officers' and NCOs' gallantry awards which is generally attributed to John Major, the PM at the time, although whether it was his own idea or he was acting on advice I don't know.

Of course, as Chinny Crewman has pointed out, awards for NCOs (and indeed all other ranks) were not "canned". Instead of a receiving a medal (DSM, MM, DFM etc) they are now entitled to the equivalent cross (DSC, MC, DFC etc) which were formerly only awarded to officers and warrant officers. Personally I think it was bit of a shame as I rather liked the designs of the old medals, particularly the DFM and AFM, but I somehow doubt if Flight Sergeant Bloggs standing in front of HM to receive his AFC is wishing he was getting a medal instead of a cross.

I agree with Old Duffer - the RAF does seem very reticent in putting people forward for medals these days. It was not always thus, during WW2 the DFC was the most commonly awarded gallantry medal, with over 20,000 being awarded, far exceeding any other gallantry medal for all three services. Times change!

[Old-Duffer]

During WWII, it was fairly common for several members of a crew to be decorated at the conclusion of a tour of - say - bomber ops but with the majority of bomber aircrew probably being NCOs the 20000/6000 DFC/DFM 'split' was biased heavily in favour of the officers. However, as far as 'immediate' awards were concerned ie those awarded for specific acts, it appears possible that the allocation was rather more fairly made but I have no statistics for that.

At the end of GW1, I had a fairly frank exchange of views with quite a senior cove, over the allocation of gallantry awards, where aircrew flying the equivalent of a bomber tour in the face of some pretty hefty AAA, received nothing (I appreciate that there was essentially no airborne threat) but it still wasn't right. My argument about the similarities between 'then and now' cut no ice with him.

Apparently, somewhere deep in the National Archives, there is a paper which explores why certain RAF personnel were awarded the VC but several others, with a remarkably similar profile of operational flying, received 'only' a bar or further bar to their DSO. In my own records, I have details of army personnel cited for the VC who got either an MID or - disgracefully - nothing. In 1942, an RAF officer, cited for a VC, had the recommendation documents marked; 'to be awarded DSO if found to be alive'.

Perhaps the only good things to be said about the way our system works is that few, if any, who don't deserve an award get one but sadly many who do deserve an award, receive nothing.

Old Duffer

[SASless]

OD,

During the Philippine Insurrection, circa 1898, my Grandfather who was a Private in the US Army, was nominated for the Medal of Honor but wound up receiving the DSC.

He went out under direct enemy fire to retrieve wounded soldiers who had been hit during an ambush and were still lying in the open. He went out three times and dragged the wounded to safety.

If one looks at the MOH Award Citations for that War....if he had been an Officer he would surely have been awarded the MOH.

Gramps said in a letter to his Platoon Leader that he was honored to be nominated but suggested he felt quite safe doing what he had as the Tango's were aiming at him. I know where I got my sense of humor from.

It is not just the RAF that has questionable policies/history re Awards for Gallantry.

[airborne_artist]

Uniquely two members of my old TA squadron were awarded the MC on the same Herrick list about five years ago. There was considerable surprise as it was expected that the "ration" would have been one.

[Union Jack]

Distinguished flying undoubtedly but, as one who used to have all Tri-Service recommendations for Honours and Awards pass across my desk, I must admit to a degree of surprise that a CGC was not considered even more appropriate recognition in the circumstances.

A very large helicopter and very large cojones.:ok::ok::ok:

Jack

[Tankertrashnav]

Interesting point Jack. I haven't followed all the gazettes carefully since the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross was instituted - have there in fact been any awards to the RAF to date?

[500N]

I remembered reading of one and just checked Wiki which I know
doesn't list all but this is the one I was thinking of.

Squadron Leader MacFarlane, Iain James McKechnie, Sierra Leone, 2001