USAF OSI agents receive special honor for quick action in deadly Afghanistan attack

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Oriana Pawlyk

~OSI Announces Three Additional Security Forces Defenders as Honorary AFOSI Special Agents~ Following the 21 Dec 15 attack, the immediate actions of three Defenders were nothing short of heroic. In a time of chaos, uncertainty, and terror, they immediately ensured the safety of other teammates, cared for the Wounded and protected the dignity of our Fallen. The following brothers in arms have been made Honorary AFOSI Special Agents. They will join TSgt Joseph Lemm, SSgt Louis Bonacasa and SSgt Bryan Nelson who were all previously named: MSgt Aaron Frederick, 824th Base Defense Squadron, Moody AFB, GA SSgt Bradley Mock, 824th Base Defense Squadron, Moody AFB, GA SSgt Flavio Martinez, 105th Security Forces Squadron, Stewart ANGB, NY The official badge and credentials will be formally presented to all three members by Brig Gen Givens, OSI/CC and Chief VanBurger, OSI/CCC in the near future. Pictured is Lt Col Michael Mentavlos, EDet 2405/CC recognizing SSgt Martinez as an Honorary AFOSI Special Agent at Bagram AF.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations will honor three surviving airmen who sprung into action following a deadly suicide bombing in Afghanistan in December.

Master Sgt Aaron Frederick and Staff Sgt Bradley Mock, both with the 824th Base Defense Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and Staff Sgt Flavio Martinez, 105th Security Forces Squadron, Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, have been made honorary AFOSI special agents, the agency announced Friday.

“Following the Dec. 21 attack, the immediate actions of three defenders were nothing short of heroic,” OSI posted on its Facebook page. “In a time of chaos, uncertainty, and terror, they immediately ensured the safety of other teammates, cared for the wounded and protected the dignity of our fallen.”

Six airmen were killed when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden motorcycle into a joint patrol with Afghan security forces outside of Bargram Air Field. The fallen airmen were directly responsible for the safety of the other forces on the ground, which included five fellow security forces airmen, five OSI agents and two linguists.

Last month, two of the six airmen killed were honored posthumously with Bronze Stars with Valor. The Air National Guard awarded Staff Sgt. Louis M. Bonacasa and Tech Sgt. Joseph G. Lemm, both with the 105th Security Forces Squadron at Stewart ANGB “for saving the lives of other airmen at the cost of their own.”

The other airmen killed were:

  • Maj. Adrianna M. Vorderbruggen, 36, with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 9th Field Investigations Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
  • Staff Sgt. Michael A. Cinco, 28, with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, 11th Field Investigations Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
  • Staff Sgt. Peter W. Taub, 30, with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 816, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota.
  • Staff Sgt. Chester J. McBride, 30, with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 405, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.

The three OSI agents will receive an official badge and credentials in a formal presentation from Brig. Gen. Keith Givens, commander of AFOSI, and Chief Master Sgt. Christopher J. VanBurger, 15th Air Force Office of Special Investigations Command Chief, in the near future, the agency said.

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Oriana Pawlyk