Captain Paul Johnson of Dresden, Tennessee, was a pilot with the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, during the Desert Storm Combat Operations over Iraq. On January 21, 1991, Captain Johnson flying an A-10 was tasked with a search and rescue. He received orders to look for an F-14 crew that had been shot down the night before. During the next six hours, he would lead his flight through three aerial refuelings, one attack on a possible SCUD missile site, and three hours of intensive searching deeper inside enemy territory than any A-10 had ever been. He risked his life as he had to fly at a mere 500 feet in order to pinpoint the survivor's location. When an enemy truck appeared to be heading toward his survivor, Captain Johnson directed his flight to destroy it, thus securing the rescue. It was his superior airmanship and his masterly techniques of orchestration that made this rescue happen, the first in the history of the A-10 weapons system. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Captain Johnson reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force. For his heroic actions, Captain Johnson was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1991 at a base ceremony.
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