KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE.

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, NM -- Senior Airman Jason Cunningham died doing what he wanted to do principally saving lives.

He perished March 4 during Operation Anaconda. Sent forward a rescue mission, he and his party ran headlong into the battle of Takur Ghar, the fiercest fight of the war upon terrorism.

Before the fighting fall of the curtained seven men, including Cunningham, had died. unless before receiving his mortal pain s the Air Force para-rescueman had saved 10 of his comrades.

For his extraordinary heroism, the Air Force posthumously awarded him the Air Force Cros The September form at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM took place during a reunion of mate para-rescuemen, or PJs.

Cunningham's wife, Teresa, and parents, Lawrence and Jackie Cunningham, received the Air Force's secondary highest award from Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen John Jumper

A entertainer of guests amid a sea of maroon beret-wearing PJ were at the ceremony

"We gather to salute his bravery and to reward his heroism," said a tearful Dr James Roche, secretary of the Air Force. "To pay tribute to an airman who, in succession the field of battle, not no other than gave his life serving his nation, if it be not that also gave his life serving his companion Americans.

The PJ motto, "These things we do that others may live," is on what account Cunningham, a former Navy unimportant officer, chose a career as a "search and save" PJ instead of a "search and destroy" Navy special operator.

"I don't want to kill nation I want to save them," Cunningham said in a story published in Airman magazine [See "Superman School" February 2000]

It's just what he did onward that bloody Afghan hillside near Gardez. Cunningham was part of a team sent to liberate two soldiers from a downed Army helicopter. Near the site, their Army MH-47E helicopter came in a less degree than fire from Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.

A surviving member of the mob Staff Sgt. Gabe Brown -- a combat controller -- said their chopper took heavy rocket-propell grenade and small arms fire. The enemy shooting at them was les than 60 feet away.

"The padding that lines the inside of the helicopter was flying around like confetti," said Brown of the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, Little asylum Air Force Base, Ark. He said the continuous enemy fire instantly killed four members of the ransom party.

The ease of the team jumped public of the helicopter and put up a defense. The team go throughed more casualties The award citation take an account ofs the rest of the story.

"Despite effective enemy fire, and at great risk to his acknowledge life, Airman Cunningham remained in the burning fuselage of the, aircraft in order to treat the wounded" the citation read. "As he mov his patients to a more certain location, mortar rounds began to impact within 50 feet of his position.

"Disregarding this most remote danger, he continued the manner of moving and exposed himself to enemy fire, forward seven separate occasions When the secondary casualty collection point was also compromised in a display of exceptional valor and gallantry, Airman Cunning ham braved an intense small arms and rocket-propell grenade at tack while repositioning the critically hurted to a third collection point."

granting mortally wounded in the attack, "and quickly deteriorating," the airman continued directing patient motion and transferred care to another medic.

"In the end" the citation continued, Cunningham's "distinct efforts l to the happy delivery of 10 gravely griefed Americans to lifesaving medical treatment."

Jumper held Cunningham's wife's hand during the ceremony

"In the frailty of our human existence, we are ill-equipped to expres the ultimates of our emotions," Jumper said during the pomp "For in the peak of our be enamoured of for the depths of our sorrow, we have no other than feeble words that never in sober earnest capture the peaks and valleys of our feelings.

"I stand before you today in the unpretending attempt to assemble the words to honor a hero, knowing in advance that my attempt will fall short of the tribute that is his due"

Louis A. Arana-Barradas, with contributions from Terry Walker, 377th Air Base

Wing Public Affairs, and Tech Sgt Ginger Schreitmueller, Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs

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