AMONG THE BRAVE
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER…EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM… LIEUTENANT COLONEL DEAN ANDREW POGREBA, USAF…
AIR FORCE CROSS
“The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the AIR FORCE CROSS (Posthumously) to DEAN ANDREW POGREBA, LIEUTENANT COLONEL, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force as Pilot of an F-105D aircraft while serving on temporary duty with the 36th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan, SEVENTH Air Force, in action in Southeast Asia on 5 October 1965. On that date, Lieutenant Colonel POGREBA participated as a pilot and mission coordinator for a strike against a highly significant military target. Despite the extreme difficulty of overcast cloud layers, haze, and rain showers, Lieutenant Colonel POGREBA flew at low level through mountain passes to the target area while encountering devastating automatic weapons and anti-aircraft artillery fire. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Lieutenant Colonel POGREBA climbed to 9,000-feet into over hanging clouds, which made him highly vulnerable to the hostile ground fire, and delivered his ordnance directly on target. Lieutenant Colonel POGREBA then emerged from the clouds and subjected to intensive ground fire, assisted the other members of his flight in their weapons delivery, assuring complete destruction of this vital target. His courageous actions and determination are in keeping with the highest traditions of the American fighting man under attack by an opposing armed force. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness, Lieutenant Colonel POGREBA reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”
Among LIEUTENANT COLONEL POGREBA’s combat awards: Air Force Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross (2), Air Medeal (5), Purple Heart, and Air Force Commendation medal(2)… Lieutenant Colonel Pogreba had been shot down previously on 22 August 1965 twenty miles west of Thanh Hoa. His remains have never been found. Colonel Jack Broughton’s “Going Downtown” includes a great “Pogie” story. Broughton on Dean Pogreba: “Pogie was a guy you coudn’t overload. Since he was a major, we could and did make him everything from squadron commander to wing ops to squadron ops to flight leader to strike leader. Whenever there was a hole in the dike, we plugged Pogie in and he loved it…”
