Last year students in St. Mary's Elementary School third grade and students in the Religious Education Program third grade wrote letters to Lt. Commander Gordon Wilson who was serving in Iraq. Gordon's mother, Patty Wilson, teaches one of the classes. Lt. Commander Wilson wrote to the children through a letter in the Manhasset Press, thanking them for their good wishes and telling them something of his service in Iraq.

Those children will be proud to read that Lt. Commander Gordon Wilson has been awarded the Air Medal by the President of the United States for his service. The citation reads: "For meritorious achievement in aerial flight as Aircraft and Mission Commander of a P-3 aircraft assigned to Commander, Task Group 67.1 deployed to U. S. Naval Forces, Europe in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 10 April 2003. Lt. Commander Wilson provided tactical information directly to Coalition Special Operations Forces in contact with enemy units, specifically along a low-level ingress route southwest of Karbala, Iraq to Baghdad International Airport. With multiple salvos of enemy anti-air artillery encountered in the vicinity of Karbala, he skillfully maneuvered the undefended aircraft to avoid the threat while locating the position of an emitting RADAR guided anti-air artillery site within striking range of the Special Operations Forces aircraft route, passing targeting information to neutralize the threat. During five hours on station, he provided electro-optic and RADAR imaging that enabled Coalition forces to defeat the enemy, ultimately securing an oil pipeline and refinery area southwest of Tikrit, Iraq. His courageous flying saved lives and helped Coalition units secure Baghdad International Airport. By his skillful airmanship, steadfast aggressiveness and exemplary devotion to duty in the face of hazardous flying conditions, Lt. Commander Wilson reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

Lt. Commander Gordon Wilson is the son of Plandome Mayor Scott Wilson. Mayor Wilson told the Manhasset Press that, by coincidence, he had flown a P-3 plane during the Vietnam War, the same plane his son now flies, although a much-updated version. He explained that the P-3 is an unarmed plane used for "intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance." The mission is not offensive but serves as a method of detection to direct other forces and warn troops if they are in jeopardy. Because their mission is surveillance, they do not fly at super-high altitudes and so are themselves always in jeopardy.

Lt. Commander Wilson is now back at his home base in Brunswick, ME, with his wife, Sandra, and three sons, Zeke, 8, Griffin, 7 and Fletcher 1 1/2.