Wright-Patt Captain Awarded The Bronze Star

  • Published
  • By Elizabeth Long
  • 711th Human Performance Wing
United States Air Force Capt. Derek Williamson modestly says he was just doing his job but the United States Army says otherwise. For exceptionally meritorious service while deployed to a combat zone in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM last year, Captain Williamson has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

Captain Williamson is stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Mr. Thomas Wells, Director, Air Force Research Laboratory, 711th Human Performance Wing, awarded the medal to Captain Williamson at a ceremony in March.

The Bronze Star is awarded to a person in any branch of the military for heroic or meritorious achievement, not involving aerial flight, during military operations against an enemy.

In 2008 and 2009, Captain Williamson was deployed for 11 months in a combat zone in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM as an Embedded Training Team Mentor for an Afghan National Army Kandak. He advised his Afghan counterparts on logistics and organizational issues.

His commanding officer, U.S. Air Force Maj. Jonathan Mizell, wrote in the narrative accompanying the award that Captain Williamson "was an excellent logistics combat convoy commander, driver and gunner, an outstanding advisor and mentor to the ANA, a key component in the Afghan presidential election, and an invaluable member of the joint U.S. forces ETT."

Major Mizell noted that Captain Williamson fearlessly directed 140 combat logistics convoys covering more than 3,000 miles of rugged and hostile terrain. Captain Williamson recounted one mission that was especially dangerous.

"I was traveling in a convoy and one of our vehicles hit an explosive device," he said. "I was riding in a Humvee that was not Mine Resistant Ambush Protected. We were escorting some seven-ton trucks out of a village where we had just dropped off some humanitarian assistance. The truck in front of me hit an explosive device which blew off its front wheel. Several other vehicles had traveled over that same part of the road, so it is just amazing that they did not set off the device and that it hit the truck in front of me. Luckily no one was hurt and there was no small arms follow-up to that attack."

Captain Williamson participated in building portable bases, providing humanitarian aid and offering advice and support so more than 200,000 Afghans could safely register to vote. He also helped plan for security at three polling places during the election.

Here, Captain Williamson is Chief of Logistics Research at the 711th HPW's Human Effectiveness Directorate, Anticipate and Influence Behavior Division, Sensemaking and Organization Effectiveness Branch.  He manages and evaluates the development and implementation of logistics-related programs and research.

"I look at an organization like the AFRL to bring the operational experience to the academic or research world and provide that reality check," Captain Williamson explained. "I make sure that products or processes being developed here makes sense for the way they will actually be used on the flight line."

He just received his Master of Science degree in Logistics Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology. "Getting my master's degree was one of the hardest things I had ever done up until my deployment," Captain Williamson said. "My deployment was hard in a whole new way. It was a real eye opener for me."

Captain Williamson, who has been selected for promotion to major, said he is honored to have received the Bronze Star Medal.

"I hope I live up to what this medal symbolizes," he said. "I am proud to serve my country. My service has shown me that the United States is a very special place."