Award of Air Force Cross to Zachary J. Rhyner, a War Memorial

Award of Air Force Cross to Zachary J. Rhyner, a War Memorial (HM1SSZ)

Location: Montgomery, AL 36115 Montgomery County
Buy Alabama State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 32° 24.265', W 86° 14.977'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 406 views
Inscription
Citation to Accompany the award ofThe Air Force Cross
to


Zachary J. Rhyner



Senior Airman Zachary J. Rhyner distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed enemy of the United States in a valley in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan on 6 April 2008. On that date, while assigned as Special Tactics Combat Controller, Airman Rhyner executed a day rotary-wing infiltration with his Special Forces team to capture high-value insurgents in a village on the surrounding mountains. The team was attacked in a well-coordinated and deadly ambush while climbing near-vertical terrain to reach their objective. Devastating sniper, machine gun, and rocket-propelled grenade fire poured down on the team from elevated and protected positions on all sides, immediately pinning down the assault force. Without regard for his life, Airman Rhyner placed himself between the most immediate threats and provided suppressive fire with his M-4 rifle to protect multiple wounded soldiers, while simultaneously directing close air support strikes. Airman Rhyner bravely withstood the hail of enemy fire to control eight Air Force fighters and four Army attack helicopters. Despite being hit three times by enemy fire during the opening exchange, wounded once
in the leg and hit twice in the chest, only to be protected by his equipment, he controlled more than 50 attack runs. Trapped on a 60 foot cliff even under constant enemy fire, Airman Rhyner repeatedly repelled the enemy with "danger close" air strikes, several within 100 meters of his position, showering his team with dirt and debris. Twice, his actions prevented his element from being overrun during the intense six and a half hour battle. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of the enemy, Airman Rhyner reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
Details
HM NumberHM1SSZ
Tags
Placed ByMaxwell-Gunter AFSNCOA Class 09-C
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, June 27th, 2016 at 9:03am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 570565 N 3585511
Decimal Degrees32.40441667, -86.24961667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 24.265', W 86° 14.977'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 24' 15.9" N, 86° 14' 58.62" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)334
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Williamson St, Montgomery AL 36115, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?