Fellow U of D Grad Makes Us Proud!

Below is an article from the Delaware News Journal about an Army ROTC buddy of mine named Pat Houtman. Pat eventually left the Army to become a pilot in the Delaware Air Guard and is the first Delaware Guardsmen to be award the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Pat, you made us all very proud!

Del. Guard pilot honored for heroism
Medal given for actions while under fire in Asia

14 September 2006

Maj. Pat Houtman, a Delaware Air National Guard pilot from Newark, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism under intense enemy fire while on duty in Afghanistan.
Houtman, 39, is believed to be the first Delaware Guardsman to receive the honor. Fewer than 3,800 have been awarded since the medal was created in 1926.

The Distinguished Flying Cross is one of the nation's highest awards for valor. It is given to those who demonstrate heroism "well above the actions performed by others engaged in similar flight operations," according to the Department of Defense.

The details of the action Houtman and his air crew took part in remain largely classified for reasons of battlefield security.

According to the National Guard, Houtman and his crew were flying a mission in a C-130 transport plane when they came under fire in November 2004. The C-130 had 10 passengers and a full cargo load at the time.

C-130s typically fly low-level missions in Afghanistan because of the rugged terrain and the difficulty of locating coalition soldiers when flying resupply missions. When Houtman, the aircraft commander, realized his plane was coming under fire, he took evasive action.
The five other members of the air crew instantly followed his lead, working as a team to get the aircraft out of danger and keep the passengers and cargo safe.

"A lot of our air crews ... have flown together so long that they can almost read each other's minds," said Col. Bruce Thompson, commander of the Delaware Guard's 166th Airlift Wing. The Guard's C-130 fleet is part of the wing.

"This award underscores the ... high quality of the airmanship skills exhibited by the aircraft commander and the air crew," Thompson said. "All credit is due to the concerted efforts of the entire air crew who handled their responsibilities flawlessly."

Houtman agreed.

"We work in a really good unit, and got really good training," he said.