Fairchild airman earns bronze star

A Fairchild Air Force Base airman was awarded the bronze star on Friday for his command of dangerous convoy missions in Iraq last year, base officials said.

Tech. Sgt. Aaron M. Cecil was cited for successfully completing 15 convoys that supplied 23 forward bases in Iraq. The missions were finished with a 100 percent success rate.

He served as a convoy commander and squad leader for the 70th Medium Truck Detachment.

On one mission, a tractor-trailer rig driven by a contract worker went out of control and ran off a supply route. The vehicle rolled.

Cecil was credited for quickly stopping the convoy and establishing a security zone around the site, and his actions saved the life of the driver, according to the official narrative accompanying his bronze star.

Cecil’s “selfless service, devotion to duty and commitment to the overall success of the detachment reflect great credit upon himself,” his commanders wrote in the narrative.

During his deployment from last April to October, Cecil traversed 13,614 miles of supply routes and delivered 24,480 tons of supplies. His missions involved a total of 480 tractor-trailer rigs driven under contract with the military.

“He painstakingly worked with customers, upload personnel, convoy support teams and higher headquarters to ensure the correct cargo was loaded and delivered to the proper mission-sustaining locations,” the citation said.

He serves with the 92nd Logistics Readiness Squadron. The bronze star was pinned at a ceremony Friday at the base theater.

Cecil has been in the Air Force for 15 years and lists McAllen, Texas, as his hometown.