Proctor Journal

A former Solway Township resident and 1982 Proctor High School graduate Jeff Davis will be honored with the 2000 National Aeronautics Association Mackay Trophy for his heroic duty following the Oct. 12, 2000 terrorist attack on the USS Cole.

Major Jeff Davis, formerly of the 75th Airlift Squadron, will receive his award along with other aircrew members for the most meritorious flight of the year (2000) by any aircrew in the United States Air Force. Jeff served as an aircraft commander for this mission and his in-flight decisions were critical to its success. “It was a very important mission,” Davis said, “and the most rewarding of my career because it affected so many people.”

In the wake of the terrorist attack on the USS Cole, members of the 75th Airlift Squadron and 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron were called upon to transport critically injured sailors to lifesaving medical facilities in Germany. The urgent air evacuation from the USS Cole in Yemen involved multiple aircrew swaps, enroute staging operations, crew duty days in excess of 25 hours, several in-flight diverts and final landings with weather at absolute minimums. In flight, the C-9 became a true intensive care unit and Jeff’s mission and crew decisions directly affected the lives of 39 critically wounded sailors.

“Jeff is used to hard work and long hours,” said his father, David Davis of Solway Township, “He worked hard on the family dairy farm and in school as a young man. We have always been proud of him.”

Davis also was awarded two medals earlier this year. He received:

• The “Aerial Achievement” in April for participating in sustained aerial flight as Assistant Director of Operations in support of Operation Northern Watch providing tailored aeromedical evacuation services for multi-national coalition forces.

• The “Meritorious Service Medal” in May when he served as the chief C-9 evacuator pilot in one of the most heavily tasked airlift wings in the Air Force repatriating the U.S. prisoners of war during the Balkan crisis, evacuating wounded sailors after the USS Cole bombing, and transporting a Bosnian war criminal to a United National war tribunal.

Jeff Davis was salutatorian of his 1982 Proctor class. He graduated from UMD in 1986 and earned a master’s degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2000. Jeff and his wife Denise (Starren, 1984 Proctor graduate) now reside in Sycamore, Ill. and have three sons.

The Mackay Trophy is presented for the most meritorious Air Force flight of the year.

The National Aeronautics Association and the National Aviation Club sponsor the Fall Awards Banquet. The event will be Mon., Nov. 5, 2001 at the Double Tree Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.