In August 2014, about 40,000 Yazidis on Mount Sinjar, Iraq, were facing annihilation at the hands of the Islamic State group when F-16 pilots Capt. David “Compton” Kroontje and Capt. Gregory “Smack” Balzhiser were ordered into action.
Both pilots launched a series of airstrikes that allowed Kurdish fighters to evacuate Yazidis from Mount Sinjar. For their actions, Kroontje and Balzhiser this month received the 2014 Mackay Trophy, which is awarded to the most meritorious flight of the year by an Air Force person, persons or organization.
By the time the two pilots were ordered to put bombs on target, they had flown several missions in support of aircraft dropping relief supplies to the Yazidis, Kroontje told Air Force Times.
At the time, neither knew that they were part of an operation to get the Yazidis to safety, said Kroontje, who is currently a student instructor pilot in the 560th Flying Training Squadron, 12th Flying Training Wing at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph.
In prior sorties over Mount Sinjar, the two pilots had seen infrared images of Islamic State fighters taking potshots at the Yazidis, Kroontje said in a Dec. 22 interview. It was a “relief” to finally be able to do something about it, he said.
“We flew over these folks for several days leading up to it; we knew what they were doing and it was just good for us to finally have an effect on that and hopefully create something good for those people,” Kroontje said.
As flight lead for the missions, Balzhiser made sure that both aircraft were in the right position to drop ordnance on targets while joint terminal attack controllers called in airstrikes via satellite uplink, Kroontje said.
“There was lots of enemy combatants, basically, on the ground that — of course — when our weapons went off, they went away,” Kroontje said.
Knowing that he and Balzhiser helped saved the Yazidis’ lives feels “terrific,” said Kroontje, who added that the successful airstrikes were the culmination of years of training.
“It is definitely gratifying to know that all of that was worth it and to have such a positive impact on — by all accounts — a group of people that are quite peaceful,” he said.
Balzhiser, who is now with the 31st Operations Support Squadron at Aviano Air Base, Italy, could not be reached for comment.
Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh presented both pilots the Mackay Trophy at a Dec. 3 ceremony in Arlington, Va., according to a news release from the 35th Fighter Wing.
“Thanks for showing us how this business is supposed to be done,” Welsh told the pilots, according to the news release. “Thanks for showing that humanity is the root of airpower. And thanks for showing how professional our airmen can do a job in a horrible situation, at night, in a place you never dreamed of going.”
