BlackFive » SYSK: Pararescueman, Staff Sgt. Zachary Kline, Receives the Silver Star

SYSK: Pararescueman, Staff Sgt. Zachary Kline, Receives the Silver Star

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"We were going to do everything in our power to get him back. If I had to clip in and hold him, I would have. There was no way he wasn't coming back." - USAF Staff Sergeant Zachary Kline, after holding a fighting position by a Fallen Angel for more than five hours. Maj. Gen. Frank Padilla pins a Silver Star on Staff Sgt. Zachary during a ceremony July 14, 2013, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Kline earned the medal while serving in Afghanistan April 23, 2011. Padilla is the deputy inspector general of the Air Force, and Kline is a 306th Rescue Squadron pararescueman. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christine Griffiths) Gallantry Earns Pararescueman Silver Star by Senior Airman Christine Griffiths 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs 7/16/2013 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- An Airman assigned here earned the Silver Star medal for gallantry in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan April 23, 2011. Maj. Gen. Frank Padilla awarded Staff Sgt. Zachary Kline the Silver Star in a ceremony here July 14, citing Kline's role is rescuing two U.S. Army pilots while under fire, defending a crash site and coordinating aerial counter-attacks. Kline, a pararescueman, is assigned to the 306th Rescue Squadron at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. "The Silver Star is way up on the continuum of honor," said Padilla, the deputy inspector general of the Air Force. "That means you voluntarily risked your life to save others, voluntarily risked your life to expose yourself to great danger in the service of your country. And that is exactly what Zach Kline did that day." Kline endured approximately six hours under enemy fire, while in the process of recovering two U.S. military members. "It's an honor being recognized for just doing my job," Kline said. "I worked with some awesome guys and was nice being a part of it." According to the award citation, Kline was a part of a rescue team tasked to recover two U.S. Army pilots from an OH-58D Kiowa that had gone down. While on the ground, Kline fought enemy fire while coordinating with aircraft by radio to target threats located behind his position. During the engagement, an incoming round ignited fuel within the wreckage, which then erupted in flames. He continued to push through enemy fire to an alternate site while still guiding overhead aircraft to adversarial positions by radio. "He leaves us with an example of an Airman that bands together with other Airmen to get the job done and to save others so that they may live," Padilla said. "When Zach leaves our Air Force he's going to leave it just a little bit better because of his accomplishments while he was here." The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration for valor and is given for gallantry in action against enemies of the United States. Full story after the Jump. Air Rescue Team Retrieves 'Fallen Angel' By Air Force Capt. Erick Saks 455th Air Expeditionary Wing KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, May 2, 2011 – Airmen from Bagram Airfield's 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron performed a daring mountainside rescue here April 23 after an Army helicopter crashed in a hostile valley. Air Force Maj. Jesse Peterson and Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shane Hargis, 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, practice a hoist mission April 22, 2011, the day before they were called upon to recover the pilots of a downed Army helicopter in Afghanistan. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Cenna (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution imageavailable. The airmen, deployed from the 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, and the 212th Rescue Squadron at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, recovered an injured pilot and a fallen hero while often coming under heavy fire. The mission began before daybreak, when the squadron's tactical operations center received a report of a “fallen angel” -- the term that signifies a downed aircraft. Within 10 minutes, the Pedros of the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron had two HH-60 helicopters airborne and en route to the site where a coalition helicopter reportedly was down. The helicopters -- Pedro 83 and Pedro 84 -- quickly flew toward the crash site, about 20 miles from Bagram, and held off about five miles away as they linked up with the other air assets in the area, including F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets and AH-64 Apache and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters. "When we arrived, one of the Apaches already had eyes on the aircraft, and he lased the pilot so we could see him," said Air Force Capt. Louis Nolting, Pedro 84 copilot. "At this time, we had thought that the pilots were collocated and that they'd egressed together from the aircraft." One pilot had climbed several hundred feet to a ridge above the aircraft wreckage. This ridge is where Pedro 83, the lead aircraft, used its hoist to insert its team composed of Air Force Maj. Jesse Peterson, combat rescue officer; Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris Uriarte, team leader; and Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shane Hargis, team member. "Once lead got the [pararescue jumpers] on the ground, we found out the pilots had split up," said Air Force Maj. Philip Bryant, Pedro 84 pilot. "The pilot who had egressed told the PJs that the other pilot was unconscious and at the crash site." The PJs relayed the information about the second pilot still with the downed helicopter, and Pedro 84 was directed to insert PJs near the wreckage. Based on the information, Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Kline, pararescue assistant team leader, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Bill Cenna, pararescue team member, began preparing their gear for their insertion near the crash site. At about 180 feet, the hoist was significantly higher than their standard descent due to the surrounding terrain. "It was the longest hoist I've ever been on," Kline said. "When we got on the ground, I was still under the impression that we were close to the...