US soldiers earn French medal for 2023 Iraq rescue

Heavy rotor blades cut through the Iraqi night as American aviators raced towards a firefight unfolding below.

In August 2023, French special operations forces had come under attack from Islamic State militants near Hawija and a New York Army National Guard crew was sent to help. This week, France honored six of those guardsmen by awarding them the country’s National Defense Gold Medal with a Bronze star, the Army announced on Monday.

The crews launched from Erbil with orders to save around 35 French operators who were trapped under fire by ISIS combatants, according to the Army.

Within half an hour, the guardsmen loaded up — alongside a French quick reaction force — aboard two CH-47 Chinooks and took off into the night.

The crew had scant information about the situation on the ground as they flew 70 miles to insert reinforcements and then standby, ready to stabilize the situation from the air.

Years later, team members, who had in 2023 been assigned to B Company of the 3rd Battalion, 126th General Support Aviation Battalion, stood in a Rochester aviation support facility for commendation.

“We’re very proud of what they’ve done as aviators, but I’d say more importantly, I’m very proud of them being New York National Guard soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Michel Natali, the New York National Guard’s assistant adjutant general, Army, after the soldiers received their medals.

“The French government did not have to recognize our soldiers, but they went that extra mile to identify our soldiers who were working that evening to keep their soldiers safe,” he said.

The French government awarded medals to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Christopher Scott, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Aaron Taylor, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jared Twigg, Staff Sgt. Samuel Sacco, Sgt. Zachary Albright and Sgt. Jedediah Estrada.

The French National Defense Medal, the Médaille de la Défense nationale, can be awarded to French or allied military members in bronze, silver and gold. The addition of a bronze star device indicates that the awardee was recognized at the regimental or brigade level for work during multinational operations.

In 2024, French Gen. Thierry Burkhard, who was then country’s chief of National Defense Staff, authorized the medals.

One of the American crewmembers recalled the night as one fraught with unknowns.

“The biggest challenge was not knowing the situation on the ground or what support we had until we got on station,” said Scott, the operation’s air mission commander.

Despite that, the crew responded.

“I’m most proud of the way the crew came together,” Scott said, adding, “while I was receiving the mission, the crew was already preparing the aircraft.”

One French paratrooper, Sgt. Nicolas Mazier, was killed during the fight.

Estrada, who served as a door gunner during the mission, said Mazier’s death has lingered in his mind. For Estrada, the award is a symbol of remembrance.

“Being honored by the French government is a way for me to continue honoring his legacy — not just what our unit was able to do, but what we accomplished together with our partner force,” he said.

Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

沉重的旋翼划破伊拉克夜空，美国飞行员们正飞速赶往下方正在发生的激烈交火中。

2023年8月，法国特种部队在哈维贾附近遭到伊斯兰国武装分子袭击，纽约州国民警卫队派出一支队伍前往支援。本周一，美国陆军宣布，法国向这六名国民警卫队队员授予国家国防金质奖章铜星勋章，以表彰他们的英勇表现。

据军方称，救援人员从埃尔比勒出发，奉命营救约 35 名被 ISIS 武装分子火力困住的法国特战队员。

不到半小时，卫兵们就和一支法国快速反应部队一起登上了两架 CH-47 支奴干直升机，飞入了夜色中。

机组人员对地面情况知之甚少，他们飞行了 70 英里去部署增援部队，然后待命，准备从空中稳定局势。

多年以后，2023 年被分配到第 126 通用支援航空营第 3 营 B 连的团队成员，站在罗切斯特的一个航空支援设施中接受表彰。

“我们为他们作为飞行员所取得的成就感到非常自豪，但更重要的是，我为他们作为纽约国民警卫队士兵的身份感到非常自豪，”纽约国民警卫队陆军副总司令米歇尔·纳塔利少将在士兵们获得勋章后说道。

他说：“法国政府完全可以不表彰我们的士兵，但他们还是特意去确认了当晚为保护己方士兵安全而工作的士兵的身份。”

法国政府向四级准尉克里斯托弗·斯科特、三级准尉亚伦·泰勒、二级准尉贾里德·特威格、参谋军士塞缪尔·萨科、军士扎卡里·奥尔布赖特和军士杰迪迪亚·埃斯特拉达颁发了奖章。

法国国防勋章（Médaille de la Défense nationale）可授予法国或盟军军人，勋章材质分为铜、银、金三种。铜星勋章表示获奖者因在多国行动中的出色表现而获得团级或旅级表彰。

2024年，时任法国国防参谋长的蒂埃里·布尔克哈尔将军批准颁发这些奖章。

一名美国机组人员回忆说，那晚充满了未知数。

“最大的挑战是，在我们到达目的地之前，我们不知道地面情况，也不知道我们能得到哪些支持，”此次行动的空中任务指挥官斯科特说。

尽管如此，船员们还是做出了反应。

斯科特说：“我最引以为豪的是机组人员的团结协作。”他还补充道：“在我接到任务的时候，机组人员已经在准备飞机了。”

一名法国伞兵，尼古拉斯·马齐耶中士，在战斗中阵亡。

埃斯特拉达在任务中担任舱门机枪手，他说马齐尔的死一直让他难以释怀。对埃斯特拉达来说，这项荣誉象征着缅怀。

他说：“获得法国政府的表彰，对我来说是一种继续传承他遗志的方式——不仅是我们部队所取得的成就，还有我们与伙伴部队共同取得的成就。”

伊芙·桑普森是一名记者，也是一名前陆军军官。她曾报道过世界各地的冲突，为《纽约时报》、《华盛顿邮报》和美联社撰稿。