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<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nSomeone sent us their work on this Catalino Aguda fellow. He claims that he was a member of an Air Force Tactical Air Control Party. A TACP travels with Army and Marine Corps maneuver units and act as advisors to commanders in the application of air power to the battle. They establish and maintain command and control communications, and provide precision terminal attack guidance of U.S. and coalition fixed-wing and rotary-wing close air support aircraft, artillery, and naval gunfire. <\/p>\n
They have the AFSC (MOS) 1C4X1 and wear the distinctive black beret after they complete the grueling 85-day course (which traditionally boasts a 50% washout rate). After the completion of the course, graduates attend the USAF Survival School at Fairchild AFB, WA. So they are a tight-knit bunch. When the picture above of Mr Aguda appeared in their Facebook page, no one recognized him. Probably because he never attended the training and he was never assigned to a TACP.<\/p>\n
In the picture, he’s wearing Master Sergeant rank (E-7), the TACP black beret with the TACP Crest (without the flash), a Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal – none of which he earned according to his records. Now, I know that he left the service before the Air Force Combat Action Medal came in to existence in 2007 (the Air Force equivalence to the Navy Combat Action Ribbon or the Army’s Combat Action Badge), but it was backdated to 2001 and his name isn’t on the list of six Airmen who were awarded the medal.<\/p>\n
Maj. Steven A. Raspet of Fountain Valley, California (for actions on January 8, 2006 at Afghanistan)
\n Capt. Allison K. Black of Northport, New York (for actions on December 4, 2001 at Afghanistan)
\n Senior Master Sgt. Ramon Colon-Lopez of Bridgeport, Connecticut (for actions on March 11, 2004 at Afghanistan)
\n Master Sgt. Charlie Peterson of Detroit, Michigan (for actions on July 28, 2004 at Iraq)
\n Master Sgt. Byron P. Allen of Birmingham, Alabama (for actions on April 12, 2004 at Iraq)
\n Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Paxton of Abingdon, Virginia (for actions on March 28, 2003 at the Kuwait-Iraq border)<\/p>\n
Aguda retired with twenty years of service in 2006 as an E-6 Technical Sergeant AFSC 2E173 Ground Radio Communications Craftsman and none of the training allowing him to wear the beret appears on his DD214. He served in Desert Storm, but I don’t see anything in his DD214 that indicates that he served in Iraq, like he claims in this picture of his MC vest;<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nThere is nothing in his records that indicates he attended the Army Basic Airborne Course, but there are the jump wings in the above picture. Everyone wants to wear jump wings, but no one wants to haul their parachute off of Fryar Drop Zone.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Cat-Aguda-FOIA-AA-232x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Cat-Aguda-FOIA-AB-232x300.jpg\")
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