Staten Island Air Guardsman receives medal for valor during Afghanistan mission

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Technical Sgt. Joseph Caponi

NEWBURGH, NY (05/31/2022) (readMedia)-- New York Air National Guard Technical Sergeant Joseph Caponi, a Staten Island resident, will be awarded the Air Medal with "C" device denoting meritorious achievement in a combat environment, during a Saturday, June 4 ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York.

Caponi, a C-17 loadmaster instructor in the 105th Airlift Wing's 137th Airlift Squadron, is being honored for his actions during an August 16, 2021, mission to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

This was one of the first missions flown in support of Operation Allies Refuge, the effort to evacuate Afghans before Kabul fell to the Taliban.

The Air Medal is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. This is the third time he has received this award during his military career.

The aircraft commander on the mission is being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, while the other four members of the aircrew will receive the Air Medal like Caponi.

"We could not be more proud of our Airmen. They executed their missions with the highest degree of professionalism and compassion upholding our Air Force and American values, said Col. Gary Charlton II, the commander of the 105th Airlift Wing.

"When faced with up unprecedented or unforeseeable challenges, their training, leadership, and perseverance enabled them to successfully complete their mission," he said

While serving as a loadmaster instructor and loadmaster evaluator, Caponi also has day -to-day responsibilities as the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the 105th Operations Support Squadron Tactics Office.

Caponi was born in Brooklyn and enlisted in the 105th Airlift Wing in 2008. He has flown missions in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on board the C-5A Galaxy and the C-17 Globemaster III.

Caponi has more than 3,300 flying hours, including 600 in combat environments.

On August 16, 2021, Caponi and the other members of the seven-member crew-- three pilots, three enlisted loadmasters, and a flying mechanic--exhibited personal courage and overcame obstacles in order to fly into the blacked-out airport using night vision goggles and not knowing if the Taliban would open fire on them.

They were delivering a vitally needed MH-47 special operations helicopter and 22 Soldiers to U.S. commanders on the ground, according to the Air Force.

The helicopter was being shipped in to evacuate Americans, coalition personnel, and Afghan allies from isolated areas. At least two of these specially designed helicopters were required and one had already been landed.

Caponi, as a loadmaster, is responsible for the loading and unloading of cargo and directing the actions of the passengers in the back of the C-17s during missions.

In August 16, 2021, according to the Air Force, Caponi and the other members of the crew of C-17 "Reach 824" were tasked with delivering the MH- 47 Chinook and twenty-two Soldiers from Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates to Kabul.

As they flew towards their destination, the Guardsmen from the 105th Airlift Wing passed a half-dozen C-17s heading back toward base which had been able to land due to closed runways, enemy action, or a lack of fuel, the citation says

On their first attempt to land in Kabul, the crew of Reach 824 ran out of fuel while waiting to get clearance to land and had to divert to another base. On their way back from Kabul they located an air refueling tanker, topped off their fuel tanks and headed back to Kabul.

As a loadmaster instructor, Caponi was the most knowledgeable of the three loadmasters on the aircraft and, at the direction of the aircrew commander he worked out a way to minimize the time it would take to get the massive twin-rotor helicopter and 22 Soldiers off the aircraft, according to his citation.

"Knowing the criticality of their cargo to the evacuation mission, Sergeant Caponi devised a uniquely clever plan to work time on the ground versus offload capability, to determine at incremental offload durations exposed on the ground," his citation says.

He determined how much equipment-in addition to the Soldiers and the MH-47 Chinook helicopter -- could be offloaded in how much time to in order to prioritize the process, according to the Air Force.

As the aircraft flew into Kabul in the dark it was engaged by small arms fire from the ground and sustained damage to the left wing. Upon landing the aircraft was met by 12 Taliban gun trucks, which drove alongside the C-17 as the pilot taxied it to the side of the airport controlled by NATO and U.S. forces.

"Sergeant Caponi was instrumental to the overall mission success, leading a download team that masterfully offloaded twenty-two personnel and 83,000 pounds of vital cargo in an unprecedented forty minutes, reducing their ground time from four hours to just fifty-five minutes," according to this citation.

This quick turn around time accomplished the mission and ensured the safety of the crew and the aircraft, according to the Air Force.

"The professional skill and airmanship displayed by Sergeant Caponi reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force," his citation says.