Major Matthew Astroth
AC-130U Gunship Pilot, 1st Special Operations Wing, Hurlburt Field, Florida

During the twilight hours of March 17, 2010, Major MATTHEW ASTROTH and the crew of his AC-130U gunship, known as Spooky 01, covered the infiltration of a U.S. Special Operations team on a hillside in a remote, mountainous region of Afghanistan. After ensuring a safe infiltration, the gunship left to refuel.

Upon returning, they found the special operations team ready to assault the target. As the attack began, enemy gunfire erupted, critically wounding a team member. Major Astroth directed his crew to provide close air support as the team quickly extracted their wounded teammate from the battle. During the extraction an enemy grenade wounded another team member.

As the gunship crew fired their 40mm gun to hold back the enemy, they also began an airborne search for a helicopter landing zone to evacuate the injured team members. Some members of the ground team moved to a site that the gunship had located, but encountered machine gun fire from a tree line across the valley. Again the gunship provided cover, this time with deadly accurate 105mm cannon fire. While directing the rest of the ground forces toward the landing zone, the crew on Spooky 01 laid a curtain of fire on both slopes of the valley, while their 40mm fire continued to rain onto the first target. During the heated battle, an enemy sniper’s round struck a ground team member, increasing the urgency for evacuation.

In response to this new threat, Major Astroth directed his crew to shift fire from the tree line to engage a fortified position with 105mm and 25mm fire. Simultaneously, an on-scene F-15E Strike Eagle delivered two precision-guided bombs through the gunship’s orbit, finally allowing an opportunity for extraction.

With the wounded stabilized, all ground forces moved to the extraction site. Despite being low on fuel and close to sunrise, Spooky 01 remained onsite and continued suppressive fire. Their support allowed helicopters to move up the valley and extract the wounded warriors and the remainder of the team.

During a high-risk combat sortie that lasted more than 10 hours, Major Astroth and the rest of his gunship crew helped save 73 American lives with their unrelenting airpower. For his actions, Major Astroth was awarded the Aviation Valor Award in 2010.