Nellis officer awarded Bronze Star

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001 | 9:26 a.m.

Lt. Col. James Carnahan, who is in charge of the weapons and tactics division of Red Flag exercises at Nellis Air Force Base, was recently awarded the Bronze Star.

Carnahan was cited for meritorious achievement while he was assigned to Aviano Air Base, Italy, as an electronic warfare officer during the conflict in Kosovo.

Carnahan was deployed with the 49th Operations Squadron out of Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., at the time.

Carnahan and one other officer were responsible for planning the use of F-117 stealth fighters during the conflict and for determining the best routes to the target.

His award citation notes that in order to accomplish the mission, he would often go days with little or no sleep. The officers worked up to 28 hours at a stretch at times, Carnahan said, to support the two stealth "packages" flown each night.

Carnahan, who flew 28 combat missions during Desert Storm, said he was proud when he found out he had been awarded the medal.

"I felt really honored that the squadron commander, operations group commander and operations officer would take the time to recognize my work," he said.

The Air Force has been the focus of recent criticism over Bronze Star medals awarded for action in the Kosovo conflict outside the Kosovo borders.

Lt. Gen. Donald L. Peterson, Air Force deputy chief of staff for personnel, recently defended the Air Force awards, saying "the changing nature of Air Force missions has made geographic location of combat forces a secondary concern."

The Air Force also cites precedent for such awards dating back to the Korean War, when airmen stationed on Okinawa were awarded the Bronze Star for "meritorious service in connection with military operations against North Korea," according to Air Force History Support Office commander George Ballinger.

"The role of our airmen who contribute to the success of wartime operations has changed," Peterson said. "We now have airmen who are outside the area of hostilities who, due to their leadership and actions, directly affect the outcome and success of our operations."