Kadena captain named PACAF's CGO of the Year

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Malia Jenkins
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Capt. Joseph Andresky, 33rd Rescue Squadron pilot, was named Pacific Air Forces' Company Grade Officer of the Year for 2011 for his exceptional performance on and off duty.

"I know there are a (lot) of CGOs in PACAF that should have won the award," Andresky said. "For my package to be picked, I am pretty honored."

During a four month deployment supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the captain helped save 71 lives on 73 combat missions. He and his crew also logged the fastest rescue time during the same deployment.

"An AH-64 Apache (helicopter) crashed due to mechanical malfunctions of its tail roader. (My crew and I) received notification from the tower as they saw the aircraft go down," explained the captain. "We contacted the survivors on the ground, the two Apache pilots, and after we made sure there were no threats in the area, they were at the hospital (within) 15 minutes. It was so fast that JPRC, the joint personnel recovery center, didn't declare a personal recovery event. By the time they were notified, we had already completed (the rescue)."

Andresky didn't rest for long after returning from his deployment because a day after he returned home, Operation Tomodachi got underway.

The veteran HH-60 Pave Hawk pilot flew rescue missions that helped his team save lives within 18 hours of Japan's worst tsunami disaster in modern history. In all, his team delivered more than 3,000 pounds of food and medical supplies that aided 10,000 survivors.

"I could not have done it without the support of the men and woman of the 33rd Rescue Squadron and the (33rd) Helicopter Maintenance Unit," Andresky explained.