Ed Smith, a British Royal Air Force exchange pilot on assignment at Hill Air Force Base, laughs at the irony of leading two F-16 flybys during recent celebrations of America's independence from his homeland.
"It just happened," the 15-year military veteran says.But the 34-year-old pilot also makes light of being awarded England's third-highest military honor - the Distinguished Flying Cross - for his leadership role with Hill's 388th Tactical Fighter Wing during Operation Desert Storm.
Smith, a member of the group's 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was a flight leader during the war against Iraq earlier this year. He earned the DFC for his performance while directing up to 120 other aircraft as they dropped their bombs on Iraqi targets.
"I really like to think of the medal as signifying the mission we were all doing," said Smith, with a British accent that has been softened by his two years in the United States.
But the Englishman's commander at Hill, Col. Mark Welsh, expresses less modesty when speaking about the honor that is now a part of Smith's military rank - Flight Lt. Ed Smith, DFC.
"Two hours is a lot of time to spend over the bad guys . . . over a Republican Guard area where people said it couldn't be done because the surface-to-air missile activity was so heavy," Welsh said.
"And while Ed was over the site, making sure he or his wing men weren't shot down, he was also controlling all air strikes in the target area and telling all other pilots where to drop their payloads.
"After spending an hour over the target area, he left the area to refuel but then returned for another hour over the target. Ed was personally responsible for a tremendous success against the Republican Guard . . . much more so than usual on that particular day," the colonel added.
Smith said his efforts were just part of the 4th's "Killer Scout" operations in which the entire squadron participated.
He said Killer Scout was suggested as a way the 4th's F-16 pilots could improve attacks on the elite Republican Guard. Smith said he and his fellow pilots scouted the Republican Guard sites for targets and then passed on the information to other planes.
He also said smoke from oil wells that Iraqis set on fire made spotting the targets more difficult and required the F-16s to fly lower.
"There was a good bit of guns being fired at us," he admitted when questioned about the dangers.
Smith's wife, Vivienne, who is just now hearing about some of the hazards faced by her husband, shivered at his descriptions.
"I just get a pain in my stomach thinking about it," she said. "He doesn't talk much about it. I guess that's just as well."
Smith, who will return to England later this year, said he wouldn't mind taking one or two of the F-16s home with him.
"We don't have an equivalent yet," said Smith, who was flying the British Hawk before he came to the United States.
He also praised the Americans for the job they did during Desert Storm.
"I can't compare them with the English pilots because I didn't fly with the British. But they would have been hard-pressed to do better and I don't think I'm being disloyal for saying that."