 In
the current conflicts the United
States is engaged in, a premium is
placed on versatility and
flexibility. So it was not much of a
surprise that Master Sgt. Stroisch
and Tech. Sgt. Frady, two Washington
airmen and long-time friends, were
called to do what is generally
regarded as soldiers' jobs: train
soldiers, set up computer networks,
and fill in as gunners on supply
trucks.
The two airmen were deployed to
Balad, Iraq, from March to September
2004 and were temporarily assigned
to an Army transportation company,
which turned out to be the first
unit assigned to security convoys.
The two quickly put skills they
learned as civilians to use: Frady,
a systems administrator at a
financial software company, set up
the computer network for the camp;
Stroisch, a sheriff's deputy,
created a training program to help
new guardsmen become acquainted with
the multiple duties they would be
expected to perform.
Stroisch and Frady were also called
to help man trucks guarding supply
convoys traveling along the
dangerous routes to and from Balad
Air Base. On April 30, 2004,
Stroisch and Frady were part of
security teams for separate convoys.
As Stroisch was returning to base
through Baqubah, he heard a loud
blast nearby – a blast that hit the
other convoy and made Stroisch fear
the worst for his friend. Luckily,
however, the insurgents had
mistakenly planted the bomb
backwards, sending most of the blast
and shrapnel into the desert rather
than toward the convoy.
The explosion flung Frady
shoulder-first into the truck's bed.
Temporarily dazed, he stood up and
checked another airman – both of
them had suffered hearing loss.
Using hand signals, the two
communicated that they were okay,
allowing the commander to get the
convoy moving as soon as possible.
For their work, Stroisch and Frady
received the Bronze Star on March 4,
2007. |
