Navy, Air Force Award Medals for Libya Raids

The Navy and Air Force have handed out more than 200 medals--six posthumously--to the air crews that participated in combat actions against Libya last March and April, the two services said Friday.

Six pilots--the strike leaders--were awarded one of their service’s highest awards, the Distinguished Flying Cross. The remainder received Air Medals or Commendation Medals, the services said.

The individual medals are in addition to various unit citations awarded earlier. In addition, all of the Air Force participants in the April 15 bombing raids received the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

Lehman Approval

The tally of individual medals awarded as a result of the two actions became available Friday with the release of a statement by Navy Secretary John F. Lehman, disclosing his approval of 158 individual medals. The Air Force subsequently released its tally of individual awards as well.

Two Air Force fliers who were killed when their F-111 jet went down in the April raid--Capt. Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci, 33, of Puerto Rico, the pilot, and Capt. Paul L. Lorence, 31, the weapons officer, of San Francisco--were posthumously awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Names of the other aviators receiving medals in the raids against Libya were not released by the Pentagon.

Sidra Gulf Raid

Navy aviators first became involved in combat action against Libya last March during an exercise below the “Line of Death” in the Gulf of Sidra.

Then on April 15, in response to evidence that Libya had sponsored a terrorist bombing attack against a West German nightclub frequented by American servicemen, President Reagan ordered a bombing raid against five terrorist-training sites inside Libya.

That raid was mounted by Air Force F-111 jet bombers which flew from England and by Navy A-6 attack jets launched from two carriers steaming in the Mediterranean.