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The Mackay Trophy is awarded yearly by the United States Air Force for the "most meritorious flight of the year" by an Air Force person, persons, or organization. The trophy is housed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. Smithsonian Mackay Trophy Page The award is administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association.
The award was established on 27 January 1911 by Clarence Mackay, who was then head of the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company and the Commercial Cable Company. Before the establishment of the Air Force in the 1940s, aviators could compete for the trophy annually under rules made each year or the War Department could award the trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year.
| "Most Meritorious Flight" during a reconnaissance competition flown over Virginia on 9 October 1912. |
| Reconnaissance |
| Reconnaissance |
| Duration record of 8 hours 53 minutes. |
| Not Awarded |
| Not Awarded |
| Highest scoring American Flying ace of World War I; 26 air-to-air victories. |
| For flights between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. |
| For conducting an 'Arctic Patrol' round trip flight from Selfridge Field to Spokane, Washington, in January 1930. The flight provided valuable information about equipment and personnel operating in extreme cold weather. |
| Commanded the 1st Air Divisions (Provisional) through 40,000 flying hours with no loss of life or serious injury. |
| Humanitarian aid missions to snowbound Navajo people and Hopi. |
| For his pioneering flights in connection with the development of methods and procedure of Aerial Frontier Defense. |
| Commanding officer of mass flight of 10 Martin B-10s from Bolling Field to Fairbanks, Alaska, and back. |
| Flew balloon to 72,395—a then-record. |
| For demonstration of expert instrument flying and navigation, and the will to overcome obstacles to accomplish their mission under exceptionally adverse weather conditions during a flight of three B-10 s from Langley Field to Allegan, Michigan. |
| For successful development and demonstration of an automatic landing system. |
| For good will flight to Buenos Aires and return. |
| For flight of Boeing XB-15 from Langley Field to Chile on relief mission after 1939 Chillán earthquake. |
| Not Awarded |
| Not Awarded |
| Not Awarded |
| Not Awarded |
| Not Awarded |
| Not Awarded |
| Not Awarded |
| First to break the sound barrier in the Bell X-1. |
| For the rescue of twelve marooned airmen from the Greenland ice sheet |
| First non-stop aerial circumnavigation flight. |
| For moving 180 fighter jets across the Atlantic Ocean. |
| For breaking the world speed record at 635.686 mph at the National Air Races. |
| First non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean in a multi-engine jet bomber; a B-45 Tornado. |
| For flying 25 F-84 Thunderjets non-stop from the United States to the United Kingdom and North Africa under adverse conditions. |
| For successfully completing a leap from intercontinental maneuver, a milestone in expanding and proving the combined operational capabilities of the B-47 Stratojet and in determining fatigue limits of combat crews. |
| Breaking the flight airspeed record at 822.1 mph in an F-100 Super Sabre at the National Air Show. |
| Breaking the flight altitude record in a Bell X-2. |
| For non-stop circumnavigation of the globe by three B-52 Stratofortresses. |
| For its rapid and effective deployment to the troubled Far East during the fall of 1958. |
| For goodwill tour of the Far East. |
| For its first aerial recovery of an object from space orbit. |
| For their nonstop flight from Carswell Air Force Base to Paris, which culminated in the establishment of two international speed records. |
| For flight as members of a B-58 Hustler crew which established three transcontinental speed records. |
| For the evacuation of wounded troops in Vietnam at night under enemy fire with a C-47 Skytrain. |
| For its participation in the Humanitarian aid airlift of some 1,500 and refugees from rebel held territory in the Republic of the Congo during November 1964. |
| For flight in the Lockheed YF-12, which culminated in the establishment of nine new world speed and altitude records. |
| For his exemplary courage and airmanship as a pilot in a combat strike mission in Southeast Asia under hazardous conditions of darkness and intense enemy fire. |
| For performing the first multiple aerial refueling between a KC-135 Stratotanker and an A-3 Skywarrior which simultaneously refueled an F-8 Crusader under emergency fuel shortages and combat condition. |
| For gallantry as a C-130 Hercules pilot in the emergency evacuation of personnel in Vietnam. |
| For a flawless deployment of 72 F-4 Phantom IIs from Spangdahlem Air Base to Holloman Air Force Base without a single abort, completing 504 successful air-to-air refuelings on the 5,000 mile trip. |
| Displaying great courage in returning their heavily damaged aircraft to their air base. | |
| For their operation of an SR-71 Blackbird aircraft establishing new world records for duration and distance covered. | |
| For their extraordinary gallantry, superb airmanship, and intrepidity in the face of the enemy. (They were the three US Air Force "Flying ace" from the Vietnam War.) | |
| For their efforts to repatriate U.S. prisoners of war from Vietnam. | |
| For participating in F-15 advanced fight test during which time eight world class time-to-climb records were established. | |
| For gallantry and unusual presence of mind while participating in a flight as an instructor pilot of a B-52D Stratofortress. Captain James A Yule, distinguished himself by gallantry and unusual presence of mind while participating in an aerial flight as an instructor pilot of a B-52D aircraft on 19 May 1976. Captain Yule's flight developed a unique multiple emergency and he assumed command of the aircraft, and at great personal risk, checked out the hydraulic open wheel well area to detect the problem. Using initiative, he coordinated with ground agencies and crew members and determined that a safe landing could be made after loss of braking and complete failure of steering. Captain Yule's professional competence and outstanding airmanship under extreme stress resulted in successful recovery of the crew and a valuable aircraft. His courageous acts in landing a malfunctioning aircraft reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force. | |
| The aircrew, composed of members from the 436th Military Airlift Wing and the 512th Military Airlift Wing, airlifted a large superconducting electromagnet, support equipment, and personnel in support of joint U.S.-U.S.S.R. energy research program. | |
| Two C-5 Galaxy aircrews from the 436th Military Airlift Wing conducted the first C-5 airlift mission in support of the free world effort against rebel forces in Zaire. | |
| For exceptional aerial skill in rescuing 28 Taiwanese people seamen from a sinking cargo ship. |
| For executing a 43-hour non-stop, around-the world mission with the immediate objective of locating and photographing elements of the Soviet Navy operating in the Persian Gulf. Objectives for this flight were to prove to the Soviet Union that the aging B-52 could still perform its global mission as part of the US nuclear Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP). Another objective was to apply pressure to the Iranian government. The year before Iranian revolutionaries stormed the US Embassy taking 52 US diplomats and citizens hostage. The Iranian hostage crisis ultimately lasted for 444 days. As mentioned, a third objective was to use the long endurance flight capabilities of the B-52 to perform sea surveillance of foreign military forces. |
| For participating in aerial flight as HH-3 Jolly Green Giant Commander in the rescue of 61 individuals, despite adverse conditions, from the burning cruise ship MS Prinsendam. |
| For successfully landing their crippled B-52 Stratofortress, under almost impossible conditions, thereby saving their lives and the aircraft. |
| On 5 September 1983, the KC-135 Stratotanker crew saved an F-4 Phantom and its crew over the Atlantic. The KC-135 refueled the F-4 four times and towed it with the refueling boom. |
| For actions as aircraft commander of the lead MC-130E Combat Talon I during the Grenada rescue mission. |
| For heroism and outstanding airmanship in saving the lives of eight crewmembers and preventing the loss of an irreplaceable aircraft. |
| Following a precipitous and hazardous launch in near zero-visibility weather conditions, the crew of a KC-10 Extender from the 68th Air Refueling Wing provided emergency refueling to a KC-10 and three A-4 Skyhawk over the Atlantic Ocean on 5 March 1986. |
| For commanding C-5 Galaxy crew assigned to the 436th Military Airlift Wing. The aircraft and crew flew the first of the missions carrying equipment used to monitor nuclear testing to the Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan for joint verification experiments. |
| For successfully conducting the first-ever gear-up emergency landing of a B-1 Lancer aircraft. |
| For airmanship and outstanding professionalism of the crew during aerial flight over Panama during Operation Just Cause. |
| For extraordinary heroism and self-sacrifice of the crew during the rescue of the pilot of Slate 46, a downed U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. |
| For extraordinary resourcefulness and unusual presence of mind during an unprovoked attack in international airspace. |
| For quick thinking, immediate reaction, and astute situational awareness enabling them to return a crippled B-52 Stratofortress to stable flight and safe landing. |
| For extraordinary heroism and self-sacrifice during the rescue of six Icelanders sailors who were stranded when their ship foundered in heavy seas and strong winds. |
| For the aerial achievement demonstrating the B-1 Lancer capability with live bombing activity over three bombing ranges on three in two hemispheres. |
| For performing the first combat employment of the B-52H Stratofortress in history. |
| For overcoming hostile gunfire, three heavyweight , and over 13 hours flying to their objective to insert a survey and assessment team and extract 56 people from the escalating Republic of the Congo Civil War, achieving this goal while on the ground for less than 23 minutes. |
| For making a mountaintop rescue of six survivors trapped inside an airplane which had crashed on a glacier during a near-zero visibility approach in winds gusting to 45 knots. |
| In recognition of an exceptionally meritorious F-15C Eagle flight during combat operations in support of Operation Allied Force when he simultaneously destroyed two enemy aircraft during a single intercept. |
| E10E1 Mission Lieutenant Colonel Marlon Major John Andrus Major Kathryn Drake Major David Sellars Captain Richard Hunt Captain Kevin Keith Captain Karey Dufour Captain Karin Petersen Captain Donna Fournier First Lieutenant Lucas Jobe Staff Sergeant Edward Franceschina Staff Sergeant Heather Robertson Staff Sergeant Bradley Atherton Staff Sergeant Ryan Reller Staff Sergeant Brian Hoffmeyer Senior Airman Chad Schusko E10E2 Mission Colonel Byron Hepburn Lieutenant Colonel Linda Torrens Major Jonas Allman Major Thomas Jenkins Major Lola Casby Major Jeffrey Davis Captain Raymond Chehy Captain Natalie Sykes Captain Michael Smith Captain Tim Carter First Lieutenant Jennifer Bagozzi Staff Sergeant Alan Wooldridge Staff Sergeant Kelly Pollard Staff Sergeant Trent Arnold Staff Sergeant Juan Garza Senior Airman Anna Duffner Critical Care Air Transport Team Colonel David Welling Major Stephan A. Alkins Captain Raymond M. Nudo Captain Andrew J. Reynolds Captain Bernd T. Wegner Staff Sergeant Chyrise M. Jenkins Staff Sergeant Christopher E. Whited | For performing heroic rescue efforts in record time for victims of the USS Cole attack during the 6,000 mile round-trip journey between Aden, Yemen, Djibouti, and Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Aircrew members launched two rescue C-9 Nightingale crews within one hour of alert. |
| KNIFE 04 20th Special Operations Squadron First Lieutenant Mike Holder Capt Jay Humphrey Staff Sergeant Vince DePersio Staff Sergeant Chad Ackman Staff Sergeant Mark Wolcott Staff Sergeant Al Aguinaldo Staff Sergeant Paul Orse Staff Sergeant Bill Adams Senior Airman Jason Andrews | The crew of Knife 04, an MH-53M Pave Low helicopter, distinguished themselves by extraordinary acts of valor and heroism during the rescue of their sister ship's crew on 02 Nov 01. On that date Knife 04 was chalk two on a short notice tasking for an urgent personnel recovery mission behind enemy lines. Due to severe weather along the route and a radar malfunction in the lead aircraft, Knife 04 assumed lead in an attempt to get the formation clear of the weather. While flying through the blinding weather, the two aircraft lost sight of one another. As Knife 04 tried to relocate their wingman, they lost radio contact. Contacting airborne command and control assets, Knife 04 confirmed that the other aircraft was on the ground. Several attempts to reach the downed crewmembers that had sustained injuries and were now exposed to subzero temperatures and enemy ground forces were unsuccessful. Knife 04 began coordinating the first of four aerial refuelings and initiated on scene command responsibilities while evading bad weather and taking enemy ground fire. As the weather cleared, Knife 04 located the crash site and began an approach to the rugged area. The extremely slim power margin forced them to dump all but the very minimum fuel required for the approach. After a perilous landing, the downed aircrew were brought aboard. The takeoff in blinding snow with rotor speed decreasing to dangerous levels was accomplished through superior effort and ability from the crew. During the egress from hostile territory, Knife 04 was forced to air refuel several times as the minimum power margin prohibited their loading all of the required fuel in one engagement. |
| GRIM 31 16th Special Operations Squadron | For rescuing 82 U.S. Army soldiers, including 28 wounded, trapped in a rugged valley in Afghanistan by Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces. The 14-man crew of an Air Force AC-130H Spectre gunship engaged the enemy from overhead during a two-hour, night-time operation that permitted two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to land and pick up the battered troops. |
| Crew of Vijay 10 Lieutenant Colonel Shane Hershman Major Bob Colvin First Lieutenant Matt Clausen Master Sergeant Shawn Brumfield Master Sergeant Chris Dockery | Vijay 10 was the lead C-17 Globemaster III in a formation of C-17s from the 62d and 446th Airlift Wings, McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Vijay 10's crew led the largest combat airdrop since World War II. On 26 March 2003, Vijay 10 led Operation Northern Delay with an airdrop of 1,000 members of the US Army 173rd Airborne Brigade soldiers over Bashur, Iraq which opened the northern front to combat operations. After the initial insertion, Vijay 10 crewmembers, along with active and reserve crews from Charleston and McChord Air Force Bases flew four more night missions. |
| Crew of Jolly 11 First Lieutenant Bryan Creel Captain Joseph Galletti Staff Sergeant Vincent J. Eckert Staff Sergeant John Griffin Staff Sergeant Patrick Ledbetter Sergeant Thomas Ringheimer Crew of Jolly 12 Captain Rob Wrinkle First Lieutenant Gregory Rockwood Tech Sergeant Michael Preston Tech Sergeant Paul Silver Staff Sergeant Matthew Leigh Staff Sergeant Michael Rubio Senior Airman Edward Ha | Jolly 11 and Jolly 12 crewmembers distinguished themselves by gallantry in connection with rescue operations near Kharbut, Iraq, on 16 April 2004. While supporting of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Jolly 11 Flight launched to rescue a five-person crew of a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook that crashed in a sandstorm with near zero-visibility. En route to the crash scene, crews realized their forward looking infra-red and night vision goggles were ineffective. Despite this handicap the crew of Jolly 11 was able to locate the survivors. Both aircraft then made near zero-visibility approaches relying nearly exclusively on the flight engineers and aerial gunners inputs for precision navigation. Following the successful survivor contacts and recovery by the Flight's Pararescuemen, Jolly 11 and Jolly 12 were individually engaged by separate multiple surface-to-air missiles attacks. Using evasive maneuvers Jolly 11 evaded two missiles. Both Jolly 11 and Jolly 12 continued to provide support with defensive fire until the formation was clear of the threat area saving the lives of five U.S. Army personnel. |
| Crew of Train 60 Major Michael S. Frame Major Brian Lewis Master Sergeant Tommy Lee Master Sergeant John Spillane Tech Sergeant Corey Turner | Train 60 crewmembers were C-130 Hercules instructors for the newly formed Iraqi Air Force. The crew's unprecedented mission was to act as the inaugural Iraqi "Air Force One" and take the Iraq Prime Minister from Baghdad to Al Sulaymania to meet with Kurdish leaders. During the mission, Train 60 crewmembers instructed Iraqi aircrew members on flight procedures in a combat environment, quickly improvised a low-level route through mountains to avoid low ceilings and landed on a taxi way at an uncontrolled and uncompleted Iraqi airfield that did not have an American security presence. Their efforts ensured the safety of the all Iraqi crew and the Iraqi head of state during this landmark airlift event. |
| Captain Scott Markle | A-10 pilot Captain Markle was diverted to support special forces troops along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in contact with Taliban forces. He arrived just before dawn and heavy gunfire and tracers and poor visibility made it difficult to find the team's location. Captain Markle, unable to employ weapons due to the enemy's close proximity to the team, flew a dangerously low pass over the area while releasing self-protection flares. When flares momentarily halted enemy fire. The ground controller requested a few more close passes to the special forces team time to create more distance between themselves and the Taliban. The separation allowed Captain Markle to strafe the enemy area with more than 1,000 30 millimeter rounds on his final pass. The special forces team was able to disengage with no casualties. Captain Markle was credited with destroying three machine gun nests and killing 40 enemy combatants. |
| Panther 11 Flight Colonel Charles Moore Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Williams Captain Lawrence Sullivan Captain Kristopher Struve | A 4-ship formation of F-16 Fighting Falcons based at Joint Base Balad, Iraq flew an 11-hour mission over 6 countries and requiring 13 supported ground operations in the Tora Bora region of Afghanistan |
| Crew of Bone 23 Major Norman Shelton Captain Kaylene Giri Captain Louis Heidema Captain Boyd Smith | Confronting a two hundred-strong enemy force that was attempting to overrun their base, the Joint Terminal Attack Controller requested a two thousand pound guided weapon. When the crew of BONE 23 realized friendly forces were in Danger Close range, they suggested a five hundred pound guided weapon, instead. Faced with a critical fuel situation, the crew coordinated to move their tanker closer providing more time on station and, within thirty minutes, BONE 23 accomplished three bomb runs decisively slowing the enemy attack, allowing coalition forces to regroup. |
| Crew of Pedro 16 Captain Robert Rosebrough First Lieutenant Lucas Will Master Sergeant Dustin Thomas Staff Sergeant Tim Philpott | The crews of "Pedro 15" and "Pedro 16" operating HH-60G Pavehawks came under enemy fire 29 July 2009 during a medical evacuation mission as part of the 129th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan. Three Soldiers had been wounded near Forward Operating Base Frontenac when their convoy was hit with an improvised explosive device and became engaged by enemy combatants. During the recovery operation "Pedro 15" was downed by enemy fire, injuring the crew. "Pedro 16", along with Army OH-58 Kiowas, suppressed enemy fire. Captain Rosebrough developed a plan to evacuate all the wounded personnel aboard "Pedro 16" and two Kiowa helicopters. Their efforts ensured the recovery of the six "Pedro 15" crew members and three wounded soldiers. |
| Dude Flight Lieutenant Colonel Donald D. Cornwell Lieutenant Colonel Dylan T. Wells Captain Leigh P. Larkin First Lieutenant Nicholas R. Tsougas | While operating as a flight of two F-15E Strike Eagles - call signs Dude 01 and Dude 02 - they were tasked to support a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force team surrounded by over 100 enemy fighters in the town of Bala Morgab, Afghanistan. With weather below rescue force launch minimums, Dude flight used terrain-following radar to execute five "Show of Force" passes in a valley surrounded by high terrain. When hostilities escalated, Dude Flight expertly employed six Joint Direct Attack Munitions, helping kill over 80 Taliban fighters who occupied reinforced positions within the town. Their efforts helped save the lives of approximately 30 coalition troops. There were no civilian casualties. | |
| Crews of Pedro 83 Flight Crew Members of Pedro 83 Captain Joshua Hallada (Flight Lead) First Lieutenant Elliott Milliken (Co-Pilot) Senior Airman Michael Price (Flight Engineer) Senior Airman Justin Tite (Aerial Gunner) Crew Members of Pedro 84 Major Philip Bryant (Mission Pilot) Captain Louis Nolting Technical Sergeant James Davis Technical Sergeant Heath Culbertson Technical Sergeant William Gonzalez Crew Members of Guardian Angel Team Major Jesse Peterson (Guardian Angel Team Commander) First Lieutenant Aaron Hunter (Combat Rescue Officer) Master Sergeant Matthew Schrader (Pararescueman) Technical Sergeant Joshua Vanderbrink Technical Sergeant Christopher Uriarte Technical Sergeant Shane Hargis Staff Sergeant Jason Ruiz Staff Sergeant Angel Santana Staff Sergeant Nathan Greene Staff Sergeant Zachary Kline (Pararescueman) Staff Sergeant William Cenna | The Crews of Pedro 83 Flight, who distinguished themselves in combat search and rescue operations on April 23, 2011 while assigned to the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. | |
| HH-60 Crews of Pedro 83 and Pedro 84 Captain Vincent B. Powell Captain Thomas R. Stengl Captain Brion P. Stroud First Lieutenant Paul A. Fry Chief Master Sergeant Norman S. Callahan Technical Sergeant John G. Ballard Staff Sergeant Lucas G. Ferrari Staff Sergeant Mahonri R. Gibson Staff Sergeant Thomas A. Hervert Technical Sergeant Cameron J. Hystad Staff Sergeant William A. Mathis Senior Airman Brian D. Ayers Senior Airman Jordan J. Dehlbom | The members and crew of Pedro 83 Flight distinguished themselves an Air Force Combat search and rescue aircrew from November 1, 2011 to February 8, 2012. In January 2012, Pedro 83 Flight, launched in response to a MEDEVAC call near Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. The flight navigated through low visibility to reach the patient. Upon arrival, Pedro 84 executed a hoist over hostile terrain to infiltrate Pararescuemen and provide life-saving care to the wounded soldier. The actions of Pedro 83 Flight saved the patient's life while providing direct support to the ongoing assault operations. | |
| Crews of Rooster 73 Flight Crew Members of Rooster 73 Major Ryan P. Mittelstet Captain Brett J. Cassidy Technical Sergeant David A. Shea Staff Sergeant Christopher Nin Crew Members of Rooster 74 Captain William J. Mendel Captain Arjun U. Rau Staff Sergeant James M. McKay Staff Sergeant Kenneth E. Zupkow II Crew Members of Rooster 75 Major B. Taylor Fingarson Captain Daniel J. Denney Master Sergeant Alberto L. Delgado Master Sergeant Jeremy D. Hoye Technical Sergeant Daniel Warren Technical Sergeant Jason Broline Senior Airman Lee Von Hackprestinary | The crews of Rooster 73 flight distinguished themselves as CV-22 Pilots and Flight Engineers with the 8th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, on December 21, 2013 while in support of Noncombatant Evacuation Operations in the vicinity of Bor, South Sudan. On approach to land, the flight took heavy surface-to-air fire, resulting in damage to multiple aircraft systems. The damage caused multiple fuel leaks requiring emergency airborne refueling to allow for the safe return of all three battle damaged aircraft, crew, and passengers. Damage to the aircraft required crew members to manually extend refueling probes and activate emergency aerial refueling valves to enable multiple refueling tracks to take on enough fuel to reach Entebbe. Time critical decision making, outstanding airmanship, and extraordinary crew resource management allowed the members of Rooster 73 Flight to save 34 aircrew and three $89 million aircraft. | |
| THE CREW OF IRONHAND 41 FLIGHT
Captain Gregory R. Balzhiser Captain David A. Kroontje | The aircrew of the Pacific Air Forces` Ironhand 41 flight, orchestrated four flawless attacks during an eight-hour night, flying F-16Cs over 500 miles in enemy-controlled terrain. Their attacks destroyed three Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) blockades, multiple armored vehicles, one observation post, and killed ISIL fighters who were firing upon 40,000 trapped Yazidi civilians who had fled to Mount Sinjar. Their outstanding battle management caused the cessation of ISIL indirect fires on civilians, ended ISIL freedom of movement around Mount Sinjar, facilitated the evacuation corridor by reducing pressure on Peshmerga ground forces, and ultimately saved the lives of 40,000 civilians including women, children, elderly, and the infirm. | |
| THE CREWS OF WEASEL 41 AND WEASEL 51 FLIGHT
Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Cohen Major Seth Taylor Captain Danielle Kangas Captain Mathew Park | On July 26, 2015, United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Cohen, Major Seth Taylor, Captain Danielle Kangas, and Captain Mathew Park, arrived on scene over Al-Hasakah, a major city in northeast Syria, where friendly Syrian Kurdish ground units were battling the last significant holdout of a group of Islamic State enemy personnel. A firefight in the southeast portion of the city had erupted, pinning Kurdish ground units in a dense urban city block. Overcoming targeting complicated by weather and limited communications, Lieutenant Colonel Cohen and Major Taylor expertly coordinated and employed several successful munitions in support of Kurdish forces despite highly restrictive attack parameters. Captain Kangas and Captain Park tracked and executed an effective attack on fleeing enemy soldiers wearing blankets to reduce their infrared signature. In a four-hour period, the crews of WEASEL 41 and WEASEL 51 flight employed 15 precision guided munitions, destroying eight enemy fighting positions, with no friendly or civilian casualties. This marked the end of a three-month operation in Northern Syria that resulted in friendly Kurdish forces retaking over 17 thousand square kilometers of territory, securing the Syria/Turkey border between Iraq and the Euphrates River. | |
| THE CREW OF SPOOKY 43 FLIGHT
Major Alexander Hill | On November 2, 2016, the crew of SPOOKY 43 was tasked to provide close air support and armed reconnaissance for a 55-man combined American and Afghan special operations team conducting a raid to interdict insurgent command and control nodes, senior leadership, and their networks. After the crew of SPOOKY 43 arrived overhead, the combined American and Afghan special operations force (also referred to as “friendlies”) was caught in a deadly ambush by a large insurgent force. The friendlies were engaged by small arms, heavy machine gun, and grenade fire from multiple defensive fighting positions. The crew of SPOOKY 43 provided close air support to the friendly ground force with the 25, 40, and 105-millimeter guns, to allow them the freedom to maneuver and provide care for casualties. In order to protect the ground team from enemy personnel, the crew of SPOOKY 43 expertly employed the 105-millimeter gun at an unprecedented 12 meters from the friendly personnel. Due to the outstanding airmanship and bravery under extremely challenging circumstances, SPOOKY 43 destroyed 10 defensive fighting positions, 27 enemy insurgents, and three enemy technical vehicles, saving the lives of 50 combined American and Afghan special operations forces personnel who would have otherwise perished in the enemy ambush. The professional ability and outstanding aerial accomplishments of the crew of SPOOKY 43 reflect credit upon themselves and the United States Air Force. | |
| The Crew of Boar 51 Flight
Major Schultz | On May 2, 2017, the crew of Boar 51 was re-tasked to support a troops-in-contact situation where 50 American and countless Syrian Democratic Forces were pinned down with heavy machine gun fire, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades. Boar 51 flight expended 1,500 pounds of ordnance and 1,300, 30-millimeter rounds on 19 targets, often inside danger close criteria. For over five hours, Captain Harvey and Major Schultz overcame communications degradation, severe thunderstorms and near-zero visibility, ultimately saving the lives of friendly forces. The distinctive accomplishments of Captain Harvey and Major Schultz reflect great credit upon themselves and the United States Air Force. | |
| The Crew of DRACO 42 Flight
Major Caitlin Reilly | The crew of Draco 42 distinguished themselves as a U-28A crew, 319th Special Operations Squadron, Combined Joint Special Operations Air Component-Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel while serving as the Tactical Air Controller-Airborne for a joint, interagency, time-sensitive mission on August 14, 2018. Despite multiple rounds of indirect fire impacting near the aircraft at their forward refueling location, Draco 42 continued to coordinate rapidly evolving target and concept of operation changes with geographically separated air and ground assets. Once airborne, Draco 42 managed the highly complex operation of simultaneous helicopter infiltrations to time-sensitive targets in urban areas that yielded valuable intelligence on a top-level Al Qaeda leader and four enemy killed in action. The professional ability and outstanding aerial accomplishments of the crew of Draco 42 reflect great credit upon themselves and the United States Air Force. | |
| The Crew of HAWG 71 Flight
Captain Alexander E. Boules | The crew of Hawg 71 were deployed from their home station of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, as a two-ship formation of A10Cs, flying out of the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 451st Air Expeditionary Group, Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. On July 19, 2019, Captain Boules and Major Stretch were tasked to support a troops-in-contact situation in which countless Afghan Special Forces were being overrun, captured, and pinned down with heavy machine gun fire and rocket propelled grenades. Working together as Hawg 71 flight, Captain Boules and Major Stretch waged a diligent battle against the difficulties of night operations, terrain, dislocated controllers, and significant language barriers to enable coordinated strikes against enemy fighters, ultimately saving the lives of 12 Afghan Special Forces members. The professional ability and outstanding aerial accomplishments of the crew of Hawg 71 reflect great credit upon themselves and the United States Air Force. | |
| The Crews of Shadow 77 and Shadow 78
Crew of Shadow 77:
Crew of Shadow 78: | As outlined in the United States Air Force nomination, the crews distinguished themselves in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel when in August 2021 they alert launched from Al Dhafra Air Force Base, United Arab Emirates, for a Close Air Support mission to protect the 2,000 Americans evacuating the embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. The crews skillfully maintained visual custody of all American personnel enroute to Hamid Karzai International Airport and provided full-motion video in real-time to the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff as they watched the evacuation transpire. Overall, the crews of Shadow 77 and 78 flew the longest unaugmented AC-130J flight to date and their efforts to safeguard the embassy evacuation directly resulted in the successful rescue of 2,000 American diplomats with zero casualties. |
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