Cunningham, Jason Decastro
Male
Verified Senior Airman Jason Decastro Cunningham, 26, was a U.S. Air Force pararescueman. He was killed by enemy fire on March 5, 2002, during a combat search and rescue mission near Gardez, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Jason Decastro Cunningham was born on August 26, 1975, in Camarillo, California. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and trained as a pararescueman, a specialist in combat search and rescue, assigned to the 38th Rescue Squadron 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. The mission was to recover two American servicemembers from a crashed helicopter. On March 5, his own helicopter came under heavy enemy fire during takeoff. According to official accounts, Cunningham was mortally wounded while moving wounded personnel to a more defensible position.
The operation, later known as the Battle of Takur Ghar or Roberts Ridge, was part of Operation Anaconda, a major ground offensive in the larger U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom. The mission aimed to clear al-Qaeda and Taliban forces from the valley.
Cunningham was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross, the service's second-highest award for valor. His body was recovered after a prolonged firefight. He was survived by his wife and two children.
In 2018, the Air Force named a training center for pararescue and combat rescue officers at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in his honor. His actions are documented in official Air Force histories of the battle.
Explore Further
Jason Cunningham was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). 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.
