Overview
- France presented the National Defense Gold Medal with Bronze Star to six New York National Guard soldiers at a Feb. 22 ceremony in Rochester, N.Y.
- The recognition stems from an Aug. 28, 2023 mission in which two B Company, 3-126 GSAB CH-47F crews launched from Erbil, flew roughly 70 miles, inserted about 30 French commandos, then returned for extraction.
- One French paratrooper, Sgt. Nicolas Mazier, was killed during the battle, and French authorities reported more than 30 Islamic State fighters killed.
- The medal recipients are Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher Scott, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Aaron Taylor, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jared Twigg, Staff Sgt. Samuel Sacco, Sgt. Zachary Albright, and Sgt. Jedediah Estrada.
- Crew accounts describe U.S. aircraft providing support overhead, a JDAM released as the Chinooks departed, a refuel stop in Baghdad during an attack alert, and a return to Erbil with critically low fuel.