DID Press: Four U.S. Air Force personnel have received the Distinguished Flying Cross for their actions during the 2021 evacuation operation from Afghanistan.
According to the citation, the crew flew a C-17A into Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 27, 2021, under highly dangerous security conditions and evacuated 450 Afghan citizens from the country.
The mission took place one day after a suicide bombing by ISIS near Kabul airport killed U.S. service members and hundreds of Afghan civilians.
After satellite communications were lost and aerial refueling was canceled, the crew decided to alter its flight route and land at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
At the same ceremony, 10 other service members received Bronze Stars. Personnel from the same unit had previously received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for their participation in military operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.