Cunningham, Jason Decastro
Male
Verified Senior Airman Jason Decastro Cunningham, 26, of Camarillo, California, was a pararescueman with the U.S. Air Force's 38th Rescue Squadron. He was killed in action on March 5, 2002, during a combat search and rescue mission near Gardez, Afgh
Their Story
Jason Decastro Cunningham was born on August 26, 1975, and grew up in Camarillo, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and became a pararescueman, a highly trained specialist in combat search and rescue, assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron based at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
On March 4, 2002, Cunningham was part of a joint U.S. special operations team inserted by MH-47E Chinook helicopters into the Shah-i-Kot Valley near Gardez, Afghanistan, to recover two American servicemen wounded in an earlier engagement. The recovery mission, Operation Anaconda, encountered heavy enemy fire. According to official accounts, the Chinook carrying Cunningham was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire, forcing a hard landing. For over twelve hours, Cunningham treated wounded personnel while exposed to continuous enemy fire. He was reportedly mortally wounded by enemy fire during this period and died on March 5.
Operation Anaconda, which lasted from March 2 to March 18, 2002, was a major early ground offensive of Operation Enduring Freedom. Its objective was to clear al-Qaeda and Taliban forces from the Shah-i-Kot Valley. The operation involved intense, close-quarters combat and was the largest U.S.-led ground battle in Afghanistan to that point.
Cunningham was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the service's second-highest award for valor, for his actions. His citation states he treated ten casualties and saved the lives of several others while under fire. He was also promoted posthumously to the rank of Senior Airman. His body was recovered and returned to the United States.
Cunningham is memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery. The Air Force pararescue community, known as PJs, regards his actions as a defining example of their creed, 'That Others May Live.' A training facility at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is named in his honor.
Explore Further
Senior Airman Cunningham was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (October 2001?December 2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
