OSI agent receives Bronze Star

  • Published
  • By Michael Fletcher
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Air Force Office of Special Investigations Special Agent Brent M. Howell, was awarded the Bronze Star April 7 during a ceremony at Altus Air Force Base.

Special Agent Howell, OSI Detachment 422, Altus AFB, deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan for seven months. While traveling down a narrow single lane mountain road on a night intelligence collection mission, his convoy was ambushed and hit with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire. One RPG hit his HUMVEE vehicle, blowing his seat loose from its frame and wounding him with shrapnel. During the following fire fight and despite being wounded, he identified the attackers positions,, directed return suppressive fire and set up a security perimeter until the vehicle could be repaired enough to travel and allow the convoy to continue. SA Howell received the Purple Heart for his wounds and was able to later return to his unit and finish his deployment. Moreover, he returned to the ambush location and helped process the scene, which later resulted in some of the attackers being identified and captured.

In another operation, the largest of its kind conducted in Afghanistan, SA Howell collected informant information and transformed it into intelligence for Special Forces units who neutralized more than 90 Taliban fighters, three suicide-bomber training areas and disrupted insurgent activities in three Afghan provinces. He also directed seven missions which uncovered weapons caches near Bagram, seizing more than 14 tons of weapons and munitions.