Two years ago, an Air Force A-10 pilot used flares, infrared cameras, his 30-millimeter gun, some quick thinking, and his huge gonads to save the lives of a German reconstruction team pinned down in a dangerous Afghan valley in the dead of night. For that, Capt. Brian Erickson was awarded a much-deserved Distinguished Flying Cross.

It was no isolated incident. Some of the most heroic teamwork in Afghanistan involves A-10 "Warthog" pilots and grunts on the ground.

Earlier this year, Staff Sergeant Robert Gutierrez, a radio-equipped air controller, was caught in an ambush with his Special Forces team during a mission to capture an insurgent leader, according to the Air Force. "Cut off from the heavy weapons in their convoy and pinned down by insurgent fire," and with two teammates wounded, Gutierrez killed four attackers with his rifle while calling in an A-10 for eight strafing runs. But that was only the beginning:

Consolidating the team's position, Sergeant Gutierrez then directed more than 70 close air support strikes over the next five plus hours while repelling numerous attempts by insurgents to overrun their position. His focus and technical battlefield expertise were deciding factors to the team's survival.

As many as 240 insurgents were "incapacitate[d]," including the targeted leader.

My only question: where's this guy's medal?

[Photo: Air Force]