Aaron Tuten

Aaron Daniel Tuten (born in Lubbock, Texas) is a UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief and Recipient of the Air Medal with Valor Device.

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Biography

Tuten grew up the son of a Military Officer and subsequently moved around often in early life, spending time in Fort Hood, TX and Fort Rucker, AL before finally settling with his family in Tampa, FL. The oldest of five siblings, Tuten graduated from River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, FL in 2003.

Tuten enlisted in the U.S. Army and began his service on September 9, 2003. He completed Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC before completing his Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Eustis, VA. Immediately upon completion of AIT, Tuten was stationed in the Republic of Korea where he flew Air Ambulance (Medevac) missions before returning to state side duty with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY. Tuten was deployed to his first combat tour in Iraq in 2005. Tuten was assigned to his second combat tour in Afghanistan in December 2007. It was during this time that he earned the Air Medal with Valor Device for an extraction mission involving Special Forces troops. Coincidently, Tuten and his sister Lyndsay Danielle Tuten were both promoted to Sergeant E-5 on June 1, 2008.

Air Medal Recipient

Tuten was awarded the Air Medal with Valor Device for a mission taking place on April 6, 2008 involving the extraction of six Special Forces troops during which time the Air Crew took Sniper Fire from Taliban forces and sustained damages to the Aircraft's Main Rotor System when a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) exploded near the aft section of the aircraft. The award was formally presented on April 20, 2008.