Every Day Hero

Marine pilot Capt. Joseph Bertagna came to aid of ambushed patrol in July 2003.

The butterflies in Marine Capt. Joseph Bertagna's stomach lasted for only a second. The bravery that replaced them will be remembered for a lifetime.

Bertagna, who grew up in Coopersburg, recently received the Distinguished Flying Cross medal for coming to the rescue of ground troops ambushed in eastern Afghanistan on July 19, 2003.

Bertagna drove the attackers away with cannonfire from his Harrier jet, then helped contact medical helicopters that evacuated three wounded soldiers. The men survived.

<...>

''The overriding thing that was going through my mind is that these guys need help, like, five minutes ago,'' Bertagna said. ''I realized that the only thing I could do to help these guys was to go down and find them.''

Using the road as a guide, Bertagna swooped fast and low into the area, defying the surface-to-air missile systems Taliban forces were known to have. The intent, he said, was to make himself visible so the ground troops could give him better directions.

It worked. The ground leader spotted the Harrier and gave Bertagna his bearings. Bertagna turned and launched an attack, firing 145 rounds of 25 mm ammo into the enemy position. As the attackers began fleeing, Bertagna emptied his cannon into their new position. It was the first time he fired his weapons in combat.

He then sent GPS coordinates to medical helicopters so they could ferry out the injured soldiers.

While protecting the helicopters, Bertagna saw what looked like muzzle flashes from a nearby ridge. He flew low over the ridge, without firing, in what Marines call a ''show-of-force pass.'' The signs of attack vanished.

''It's just, like, 'Hey, we're here. If you want to start anything, this is what's going to happen to you,''' Bertagna said of the flyover.

We have the best damn military force out there and I'm astounded daily at the heroism.