The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to Major Brett D. Wilkinson, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer, 40th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, 40th Expeditionary Operations Group, 40th Air Expeditionary Wing at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory on 29 March 2003. On that date, Major Wilkinson was the lead Electronic Warfare Officer of a three-ship formation that took part in the first ever B-1, B-2, and B-52 combined heavy bombardment strike package utilizing 31 separate aircraft. This historical multi-wave bomber attack was synchronized to maximize weapon’s effects on critical command and control, intelligence facilities, and defense ministry infrastructure within the city of Baghdad. Despite severely degraded communications, numerous weapons malfunctions, an engine malfunction requiring shutdown, and a critically low fuel state, the crew continued to press the attack. The mission was further complicated as Iraqi defenses launched seven surface-to-air missiles, one of which detonated just above the aircraft. Major Wilkinson’s acute situational awareness and rapid decision making expertly defended the formation, enabling the successful release of over 30 Joint Directed Attack Munitions resulting in the destruction of key Iraqi targets. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Major Wilkinson reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
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Awards Received
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Distinguished Flying Cross
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Distinguished Flying Cross
Service:
United States Air ForceRank:
MajorAction Date:
March 25 – 26, 2003
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat “V” to Major Brett D. Wilkinson, United States Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer, 40th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, 40th Expeditionary Operations Group, 40th Air Expeditionary Wing at Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory from 25 March 2003 to 26 March 2003. During this period, Major Wilkinson flew as part of a 13-ship multi-national strike package to destroy critical Republican Guard forces deep inside a heavily defended region of Baghdad. Over Iraq, the crew encountered a severe sandstorm and heavy turbulence causing one engine to fail and leaving the aircraft with barely enough thrust to sustain flight at altitude. The severe weather forced most of the strike package to abort, leaving Major Wilkinson and his crew to strike their targets with no support. With aircraft performance severely degraded, the crew relied solely on electronic defense to defeat three surface-to-air missiles. The crew then re-planned the initial strike as single ship, and completely destroyed 12 revetted Republican Guard positions. Major Wilkinson then defeated a fourth surface-to-air missile, allowing the crew to maneuver the aircraft back on track to successfully release the remaining weapons on the final target. His impeccable decision making directly resulted in the successful accomplishment of this critical mission. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Major Wilkinson reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.