513th chief of maintenance receives Bronze Star medal Published Aug. 6, 2010 By Tech. Sgt. Grady Epperly 513th ACG Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Lt Col. Dale Andrews recently received the Bronze Star Medal by distinguishing himself for meritorious achievement as deputy group commander of the 451st Expeditionary Maintenance Group, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan while engaged in ground operations against the enemy from May 4, 2009, to Nov. 5, 2009. Colonel Andrews deployed to Afghanistan with direction to "create an expeditionary maintenance group." Shortly after arriving at Kandahar Airfield he consolidated 10 maintenance units at four locations within Afghanistan into the 451st EMXG. "The formation of the 451st EMXG increased attack, airlift, combat rescue and surveillance capabilities by opportune use of limited manning and resources within Afghanistan," said Colonel Andrews. In addition to forming a new group and orchestrating the efforts of more than 600 active duty, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve personnel, Colonel Andrews forged a NATO coalition agreement for a $1 million oxygen production plant at Kandahar Airfield, which eliminated the need for costly overseas resupply of liquid oxygen. "One of the biggest challenges working in Afghanistan is the austere conditions and the affect on the logistical pipeline. It is very expensive and time consuming to get supplies in and out so any time you have the opportunity to open up a new capability on site, such as the oxygen production plant, you run with it," Colonel Andrews added. The plant along with the efforts of the 451st EMXG safely generated over 9,000 combat sorties totaling an excess of 61,000 flying hours. Many of the sorties involved combat medical evacuations. The wing's helicopters bore the brunt of damage as they swept over the landscape. "One of the things I am pleased to say I was a part of, was the implementation of a fast action recovery plan for our battle damaged helicopters," he said. "We were able to recover three helicopters from the battle field while I was there, which saved over $17 million in assets." From meeting 99 percent of Air Tasking Orders to doubling the airfield's Net Explosive Weight, which allowed for substantial increase in munitions storage and classes of weapons, Colonel Andrews rarely had time to take a breather but all the hard work paid off on Oct. 3, 2009, when Combat Outpost Keating came under siege. COP Keating sits on the outskirts of Afghanistan-Pakistan border and came under a large, coordinated attack by hundreds of insurgents armed with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. "With the help of our coalition partners we surged ATO sorties 20 percent to rescue the overrun outpost," said Colonel Andrews. In an Air Force article published in November 2009 Staff Sgt. Matthew McMurtrey who was the lone Airman at COP Keating said, "Once air support showed up, they started bombing everything. The blasts through the door from the bombs being dropped almost knocked me over." After more than 16 hours of bombing and strafing from a B-1B Lancer, F-15E Strike Eagles, A-10 Thunderbolts and surveillance by MQ-1 Predators, nearly 100 militants were killed by the combined response that included Afghan soldiers as well as U.S. air and ground units. Eight Americans and three Afghans were killed, while nine Americans and 11 Afghans were wounded, according to Combined Joint Task Force-82 officials. In the same article Army Lt. Col. Robert Brown, the 3-61 Cavalry commander from the 4th ID said, "There is no doubt that without the incredible air support we received, it would have been a much worse day," "Your (the Air Force's) ability to keep a steady flow of aircraft and ordnance on the enemy turned what could have been a terrible defeat into a hard fought victory," Colonel Brown added "The actions that day were heroic, I'm humbled to have played a small part," said Colonel Andrews.