A-10 pilot awarded Mackay Trophy – Capt. Scott L. Markle was presented the Clarence Mackay Trophy during a ceremony Oct. 29 in Arlington, Va. Captain Markle, an A-10 Thunderbolt II pilot with the 81st Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, received the award for his actions while supporting troops in contact with the enemy along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
He is credited with destroying three machine gun nests and killing forty Taliban fighters. His actions saved the lives of 15 soldiers who were outnumbered three to one by the enemy. (Air Force Photo/Andy Morataya)
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Wild Thing…….Holy Moly! How tall is that? ….OH wait I just found out here it is……it is 3 Feet tall. HERE
According to the award citation submitted to General T. Michael Moseley, United States Air Force Chief of Staff, Markle’s support mission was re-tasked on takeoff to support a U.S. Special Forces team in contact with Taliban fighters along the Afghanistan- Pakistan border. “Captain Markle arrived on scene to find the team engaged in hand-to-hand combat and expecting to be overrun by the enemy,” according to the citation.
“Unable to employ weapons due to the close proximity of the team, he flew a dangerously low pass over the enemy while dispensing self protection flares. After the ground controller noted the effectiveness of the pass in momentarily ceasing the enemy’s fire, Captain Markle performed three additional passes, allowing the team to pull back farther each time.”
Under Captain Markle’s protection, the entire Special Forces team – outnumbered on the ground by three to one – egressed the “kill zone” with zero casualties.
“The distinctive accomplishments of Captain Markle reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force,” as stated in the citation. Using a 30-millimeter gattling gun at danger-close range, Captain Markle is credited with destroying three machine gun nests and killing 40 Taliban fighters during the flight which was confirmed during a battle damage assessment survey the next day.
According to the nomination narrative, the ground commander and his team personally thanked Captain Markle and credited him for saving the lives of the 15 members of the U.S. Special Forces team involved in a pre-planned Taliban ambush.
Wild Thing’s comment……..
Thank you Capt. Scott L. Markle for your service and for all you have done in this war.
Thank-You WT for I was blest to be stationed at old Myrtle Beach AFB (’78, ’79, ’80)) and at SPangdahlem AB in West Germany after that assignment… when it was an F-4 Phantom support mission during the Cold War. Spang is in the Eifel Hills and near Luxemborg. In the movie ‘Sum Of All Fears’ the Spang F-16 dropped a conventional nuke on the Russkies! Patton rolled through Spang enroute to Bastogne as well
in WW II.
Prost und Bitte Ein Bitburg Bier, Ja vol?
Gotta love those flyboys!!
I read the citations of those receiving medals and awards and I’m always so amazed at the actions of the recipients. Goose-bumpally amazed.
That A-10 is a ground pounders dream for close air support. Kinda like the A1 Skyraider of Vietnam days. Both carry lots and lots of ordnance and both go low and slow enough to deliver those bombs and cannon fire close and accurately.
Congratulations Capt Markle and to the Special Forces team for setting up the Taliban to be killed.
As luck would have it we live 40 miles from
Mountain Home AFB… The A-10’s Come over the
house on their way to do touch and go’s at Boise.
Along with the A-10, AC-130.F-15 F-16 there is
a P-51 Mustang and a Curtis P-40 that fly on
weekends form time to time,great place for a Plane
nut to live…But the A-10 is the King…
I should have said, love those dead Tangos’!!!!
I’d never heard of the Mackay Trophy award, thanks WT. Scott L. Markle is in great company. Having watched a Marine Corps A-4 Skyraider in close support flying through their own 500lb bomb flak, I have nothing but respect for anyone who deliberately flys low and slow against the enemy to ‘pacify’ them. 40 terrorists found that out the hard way while Capt Markle was flying as bait. He’s as gutsy as any dustoff pilot on a hot LZ.
Thanks to pilots like Capt Markle and great aircraft like the A-10 we rule in the air. You are the best. Thank you Capt Markle and a big thank you to the Special Forces team who survived the ordeal.
Darth thank you so much for sharing about that. Very interesting.
Yankeemom, me too, I know what you mean.
Tom thank you for that information.
Tincan Sailor, that is so neat.
When we lived in Vegas, Nellis is right there and we used to go there and watch a lot of the events that had. But what you have is even better.
Jack I can’t imagine how that must feel, flying low like that against the enemy.
Dallas Cowboy DE Chad Henning flew A-10’s too!