33rd pilot awarded Bronze Star

  • Published
  • By Maj. Karen Roganov
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  A pilot who helped stand up the 33rd Fighter Wing's F-35 Lightning II training program here was awarded a Bronze Star for his deployment experience of putting bombs on target.

Maj. Michael Gette, 58th Fighter Squadron assistant director of operations, was awarded the honor in front of approximately 200 uniformed, civilian and contracted members of the joint strike fighter integrated training center July 23.

"As the Combined Forces Air Component Commander's weapons officer, Gette assessed over 3,900 weapons releases, corrected deficiencies, and drove the percentage of weapon hits to a phenomenal 97.2 percent," said Col. Andrew Toth, 33rd FW commander, about the major's assignment overseas with U.S. Air Forces Central Command June 4, 2011 to May 28. "It is wonderful to have him recognized for such impressive actions in front of the team."

Gette, one of the top five percent of pilots who has gone through U.S. Air Force Weapons School, used his advanced training in weapons and tactics employment to orchestrate the initial fielding of the BLU-129, very low collateral damage weapon while in the theater of operations.

"This weapon was the solution for a joint operational urgent need by the combatant commanders," said Norma Taylor, an acquisition program manager at Eglin, who led the BLU-129 quick reaction capability effort at the time.

Emails and the phone conversations were constantly going between when Gette, who was in the field, back to Taylor's team here. That team was part of the Air Armament Center then, but now falls under new leadership with the same mission of equipping warfighters with strike weapons to fight and win decisively. Their role was to share detailed and comprehensive information needed before the initial employment of the weapon.

Fielding the 500-pound class weapon, which touts virtually no fragmentation, for the first time in combat, made Gette the ideal candidate to teach wing and squadron-level weapons officers in the Central Command area of responsibility supporting Operations Enduring Freedom, New Dawn and Combined Joint Task Forces.

"The classes included mission planning, pre-flight actions, avionics set up and the weapon execution," said Gette. "That ability to transition a weapon from an acquisition program to an operational capability was essential."

Eglin's personnel at the Armament Systems Directorate and (then) 46th Test Wing design, develop, produce, field, and sustain a family of air-to-ground munitions, enhancing warfighter capabilities (both U.S. and allies) in defeating a spectrum of enemy targets.

"You can talk about how great a capability is all day, but until someone like him provides that lynchpin role, the weapon is not employed or fully realized," Taylor said. "The war fighters listen to someone with his experience and credibility."

While the BLU-129 weapon fielding was a big event for Eglin and those in the area of responsibility, it was just one of Gette's many key roles during deployment.

He also managed the weapons program for the entire theater, which included more than $2 billion in munitions and contributed to the air and ground forces destroying over 2,000 targets in four different U.S. Central Command campaigns.

Gette said he spent 12 to 15-hour days "trying to bridge the gap."

"My biggest concern was that our aircraft providing close air support had the munitions support for the guys on the ground."

His medal citation mentioned the fighters, bombers and remotely piloted aircraft providing close air support that "had the right weapon for the right aircraft overhead 24-hours a day." There was uninterrupted close air support to the coalition's ground campaign while regarding human life that could be in jeopardy during his efforts.

As the command's weapons officer, Gette coordinated shipments to keep warfighters supplied during their deployed operations. Back home at the 58th FS he was known for setting up provisions for his team since he arrived there February 2011.

"The very first thing he did was stand up the flight and training scheduling for his squadron," said Toth. "This was a first-ever and a challenge when dealing with new requirements, a new building, new computer systems and a new aspect like contracted support, but he laid the ground work for the follow-on success we are enjoying now."

Gette was also honored "meritorious achievement" for ensuring zero loss of targeting capability by correcting any theater wide munitions shortages, leading CENTCOM's weapons and tactics conference, which hosted more than 260 ground and air combat experts and capturing 75 tactics improvements and joint urgent operational need requests.

"Because of his leadership and personal endeavor, he ultimately improved the tactical effectiveness of nine Air Expeditionary Wings," said Toth. "To say we are proud of this Nomad is an understatement."