Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      image of Master sergeant john grimesey receiving silver star medal from lieutenant general jim slifeSpecial Tactics Airman awarded Silver Star Medal
                        
                        
                        Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presents the Silver Star Medal to Master Sgt. John Grimesey, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, during a ceremony at Pope Field, N.C., Aug.14, 2020. Grimesey received the nation's third highest medal for his actions while deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Katie Spencer)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        image of Master sergeant john grimesey receiving silver star medal from lieutenant general jim slifeSpecial Tactics Airman awarded Silver Star Medal
                        
                        
                        Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presents the Silver Star Medal to Master Sgt. John Grimesey, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, during a ceremony at Pope Field, N.C., Aug.14, 2020. Grimesey received the nation's third highest medal for his actions while deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Katie Spencer)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        image of Master sergeant john grimesey receiving silver star medal from lieutenant general jim slifeSpecial Tactics Airman awarded Silver Star Medal
                        
                        
                        Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command, presents the Silver Star Medal to Master Sgt. John Grimesey, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, during a ceremony at Pope Field, N.C., Aug.14, 2020. Grimesey received the nation's third highest medal for his actions while deployed to Afghanistan in 2013. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Katie Spencer)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

Special Tactics Airman awarded Silver Star MedalPublished Aug. 17, 2020
                    
                    By Capt. Katie Spencer
            **POPE FIELD, N.C. (AFNS) --**A Special Tactics Airman was awarded the nation's third highest award for valor, the Silver Star Medal, during a ceremony at Pope Field, Aug. 14.Master Sgt. John Grimesey, a Special Tactics combat controller with the 21st Special Tactics Squadron, 24th Special Operations Wing, was recognized for his efforts in Afghanistan in 2013. He not only saved the life of a fellow special operations troop, but called in multiple airstrikes while being under attack by the enemy.Grimesey’s objective was to clear and secure a village in Ghazni Province to establish local Afghan police presence without the threat of opposition forces. Grimesey and his team partnered with the local Afghan police and together they set out to clear the area until one of the teams encountered a large band of Taliban fighters.“Our Afghan team got separated and started to take on enemy fire,” Grimesey said. “Myself and an Army Special Forces Soldier maneuvered to provide assistance and quickly found ourselves engaged with the Taliban.”When Grimesey peered around a wall to gain situational awareness, he noticed the wounded and dead Afghan police officers, to include the police chief. It was then Grimesey was struck by a rocket propelled grenade.“I remember the ringing in my ears,” Grimesey recalled. “I knew I was concussed from the blast because of the ringing, my vision was blurry and I was fatigued.”Despite suffering a concussion and shrapnel wounds, Grimesey was able to drag his Army Special Forces teammate away from the immediate danger zone and assess the situation.“I snapped into a problem solving mode,” he said. “The situation was dire and the only way to solve it was to rely on my extensive training and attempt to break down the large problem into small chunks. I had to prioritize what I was being faced with.”The Special Tactics combat controller was able to call in additional support from other Army Special Forces units, and from aircraft for close-air-support; all the while engaging in a fire fight with opposition forces.“Eventually we were able to gain control and eliminate the Taliban resistance while also finishing the mission to secure the village,” he said.Grimesey said it was later discovered there was a Taliban training team who had made their way to the village, thus drastically increasing the number of fighters they encountered.Lt. Gen. James Slife, commander, Air Force Special Operations Command, presided over the ceremony and remarked on Grimesey’s actions.“You may not call yourself a hero, Master Sgt. Grimesey, but I do,” Slife said. “Because of your actions that day, families and friends did not experience loss. The men whose lives you saved will continue to positively impact those around them, creating a chain of reaction that ripples across generations.”“I think about it every day,” Grimesey reflected. “I even dream about it. It’s an event that left an impression on me. While it was a harrowing experience, I look back with great pride and believe that my team and I were able to save lives and help ensure the security of the village.”Grimesey’s Silver Star Medal was upgraded from an Army Achievement Medal. During the ceremony he also received the Bronze Star Medal, second oak leaf cluster with Valor for another battle in the Middle East in 2017.As Grimesey looks ahead to start his medical retirement process, he remembers his time in the Special Tactics community fondly.“If there are any other young men and women out there looking for a community with a sense of purpose and opportunity to make a positive impact on the world at large, they don’t have to look any further than Air Force Special Tactics,” Grimesey said.Special Tactics Airmen are U.S. Special Operations Command’s tactical air-to-ground integration force, and AFSOC’s special operations ground force, leading global access, precision strike, personnel recovery and battlefield surgery operations.Since 9/11, Special Tactics Airmen have received one Medal of Honor, 11 Air Force Crosses and 49 Silver Star Medals, making Grimesey’s the 50th.AWFN 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



Pope Field 



Special Tactics 



Silver Star 



combat controller 



21st Special Tactics Squadron 



24th Special Operations Wing Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil