An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Dover officers awarded Bronze Star Medals

  • Published
Two Dover AFB officers were recently awarded Bronze Star Medals in recognition of their support to the Global War on Terrorism.

Lt. Col. Mark DeLuca, 436th Airlift Wing Safety Office, and Lt. Col. Richard Pues, 9th Airlift Squadron, received their decorations Aug. 18 and Aug. 12 respectively.

Colonel DeLuca was deployed on a short notice remote to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, from July to November 2003, as the chief of safety for the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing. Among his responsibilities were increasing mission readiness and preserving combat capability of the wing by preventing mishaps.

My staff and I worked hard to focus Team Manas on safe mission accomplishment, said Colonel DeLuca. Our efforts had a direct and positive impact on combat operations and, ultimately, saved lives.

While Colonel DeLuca worked diligently to maintain safety in Kyrgyzstan, more than 1,000 miles away another deployed Dover Airman was working just as hard.

Colonel Pues, also deployed on a remote tour from January 2003 to February 2004, started at the U.S. Central Command Air Forces Combined Air Operations Center in Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, and later continued in Al Udeid, Qatar, as the Air Mobility Division chief. In this capacity, the colonel was the single point of contact for all air mobility operations for both airlift and tanker actions in CENTCOM's area of responsibility.

Both officers received their distinct honors because of their successes in supporting major operations, but recognize they could not have earned this honor alone.

I was truly honored to receive (the Bronze Star), but it was a total team effort by all the deployed individuals in the Air Mobility Division that made us successful, said Colonel Pues.

Though the two colonels have reached impressive milestones in their own careers, they remain impressed with the troops with whom they deployed, whether they are Airmen, Soldier, Sailors or Marines.

I became a strong believer in the one team, one fight concept, said Colonel DeLuca. I was part of a wing comprised of a coalition of six nations and a mix of active, Reserve, Guard and civilian personnel conducting combat and combat support operations with tactical airlift, air-to-air refueling and fighter aircraft.

Although Dover is located in a somewhat rural area of the United States, its clear that its global reach is still a great impact.

The wing (at Manas AB) kept close tabs on the progress of missions, including Dovers, said Colonel DeLuca. Even though we were here 9,000 miles away, troops engaged in combat with the enemy rely on us to do our job.

Even though Colonel DeLuca and Colonel Pues fill leadership positions, they said the same work ethic is imperative for all ranks especially in a deployed location.

(You need to) know your job and hit the ground running, said Colonel Pues. A deployment to a combat theater is not the time to let up - lives depend on your actions.

Air Mobility Command News Service is a service of the Internal Division
Office of Public Affairs
503 Ward Drive, Room 214
Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 62225-5335
618-229-7821