Boy, I sure was surprised to see CBS reporting this:
A lot of American tourists come to London hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen. But Maj. William Cheserak is no tourist: He’s a hero, CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports.
Cheserak, a U.S. Marine pilot, was honored on Wednesday in a way no American has been since the Second World War. He was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross — the most prestigious medal for airborne service the British have.
Great job, Major Cheserak.
We don’t get enough reporting on our heroes, but this was good to see. You can read the USMC press release here.
John Adds: Forgive me for jumping in, but Bullnav and I are in the same email chain from the very cool British milblogger David of Cabarfeidh.com, who just sent in a pic of Major Cheserak:
And the press release from the Ministry of Defence:
Major Chesarek, serving as an exchange officer with 847 Naval Air Squadron, was commanding a Lynx helicopter, providing air cover to the operation. Flying for over five hours, Major Chesarek elected to fly repeated passes at very low level, under heavy small arms fire and at least one near-miss from an RPG, in an attempt to distract and disperse the crowds who were preventing the ground troops returning fire.He continued this tactic in full knowledge of the tragic loss of his commanding officer and crew in a Lynx over Basra only a few weeks before. Major Chesarek also acted as a Forward Air Controller, successfully designating targets for fixed-wing air support, as well as coordinating low-level passes by the jets to support his own efforts to disperse the crowds, and was judged by the Commander of 20 Armoured Brigade to have played a pivotal role in the safe extraction of the Coalition forces.
Major Chesarek and his crew also landed immediately, despite the huge risks, to evacuate the causalty Private Norris had been treating.
Gentlemen, the diminutive lady in the RAMC uniform next to the Major did something scary brave and truly noble to win that bauble she is waving about. It would be the least courtesy to mention her name and credit her as a model medic. Did all of you sleep through the Gallant Southerner lecture at VMI that it takes a boorish, knuckle-dragging Texan to point out this most ungallant omission on your part?
The first woman to win a MC.
Lance Corporal Michelle Norris MC, RAMC, is a British soldier and medic noted for heroism in the 2003 Iraq conflict. On June 11, 2006, whilst a private serving as a Medical Orderly attached to the 1st Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, she jumped out of her Warrior Patrol vehicle and climbed up the side of it to rescue the vehicle commander, Colour Sergeant Ian Page, who had been shot in the mouth, all the time being heavily fired upon by snipers at night. One bullet hit her rucksack as she climbed the vehicle. She then helped drag the sergeant back into the vehicle while still being fired upon. Her commanding officer recommended that she receive a medal for her bravery, and the award of the Military Cross was gazetted on 15 December 2006. She is the first woman to be awarded that decoration. She received the decoration from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 21 March 2007.
Norris and Page were evacuated by a British Lynx helicopter, which was being flown by Major William Chesarek USMC (then a Captain) as the result of an officer exchange programme. He was subsequently awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross as a result of his actions on this occasion, receiving the award at the same time Norris received her MC.
Taken from the site:www.britishmedalforum.com