WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Maj. Gen. D. Scott Durham, 4th Air Force commander, presented several 445th Airlift Wing Citizen Airmen with medals June 1 for their contributions to Operation Allies Refuge in August 2021.
The medals ranged from the Distinguished Flying Cross with combat device to Air Medals with combat device to a Meritorious Service Medal.
The awards presented were as follows:
Distinguished Flying Cross with combat device
Tech. Sgt. Zachary Webb, loadmaster
Webb was assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, from Aug. 17-30, 2021, during Operation Allies Refuge. He flew in hostile Airspace over Kabul, Afghanistan, while under machine gun fire from enemy emplacements while enabling the emergency humanitarian evacuation of 1,167 Aghan refugees throughout the operation. He was the primary loadmaster aboard Reach 828 from Al Udeid to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where he transported 260 refugees without onboard medical or security members. He provided armed security for the crew while monitoring the heard rate and blood pressure of a mother in labor after alerting the aircraft commander of the situation and enlisting the help of a young Afghan refugee as an interpreter until the mother could be stabilized and gave birth to a baby she named “Reach.”
Air Medal with combat device
CREW 1
Lt. Col. Dustin Johnson, pilot and aircraft commander
Capt. Logan Sisca, co-pilot
Master. Sgt. Spencer Fisher, crew chief
Not pictured: Capt. Jeffrey Anderson, pilot
Also part of the crew: Tech. Sgt. Zachary Webb, loadmaster – received a DFS
Crew 1 was assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, from Aug. 17-30, 2021, during Operation Allies Refuge. They flew in hostile Airspace over Kabul, Afghanistan, while under machine gun fire from enemy emplacements while enabling the emergency humanitarian evacuation of 1,167 Aghan refugees throughout the operation. As the crew of Reach 828, they transported 260 refugees from Al Udeid to Ramstein Air Base, Germany. They were instrumental in monitoring the Afghan mother in labor until she could be stabilized upon landing and gave birth to a baby she named “Reach.”
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CREW 2
Lt. Col. Andrew Pierce, pilot and aircraft commander
Maj. Joshua Earl, pilot
Maj. Jonathan Hall, pilot
Tech. Sgt. Bryant Fox, loadmaster
Tech. Sgt. Cole Anglemyer, crew chief
Crew 2 was assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, from Aug. 14-30, 2021, during Operation Allies Refuge. The crew completed several sorties while under hostile small arms fire and anti-aircraft artillery threats by patrolling Taliban forces in close proximity that contributed to saving the lives of 124,000 people. Quick thinking and situation support prevented a catastrophic collision and airfield closure. Additionally, 300 refugees, 314 U.S. Army Soldiers and two CH-47 helicopters were evacuated.
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CREW 3
2nd Lt. Noah Benefiel (former a technical sergeant), loadmaster
Tech. Sgt. Zachary Allen, loadmaster
Tech. Sgt. Issac Graham Jr., crew chief
Not pictured: Maj. Jeremiah Brown, pilot, and Capt. Cecilia Photinos, pilot and aircraft commander
Crew 3 was assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, from Aug. 21-31, 2021, during Operation Allies Refuge. Under indiscriminate small arms fire from enemy emplacements, their dedication enabled the emergency evacuation of 816 Afghan refugees and U.S. citizens. As the crew aboard Reach 831 from Al Udeid to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, and back, they were forced to depart with minimal fuel to complete the sortie. Due to enemy lasings, they were forced to complete air refueling with a KC-135 RT under non-standard, blacked-out conditions aided with vision goggles, onloading 20,000 pounds of fuel while concealed from hostile identification.
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CREW 4
Lt. Col. Jonathan Askins, pilot and aircraft commander
Lt. Col. Eric Florschuetz, pilot
Tech. Sgt. Justin Bateman, loadmaster
Tech. Sgt. Steven Flick II, loadmaster
Tech. Sgt. Michael Kessinger, crew chief
Crew 4 was assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, from Aug. 19-26 during Operation Allies Refuge. The crew airlifted 703 refugees and expedited the transport of 19 Ravens, and three Marine Corps explosive detector dogs and their handlers. While in Kabul, Afghanistan, they faced small arms, anti-aircraft artillery and threats on an insecure airfield, including a rouge vehicle driven under an engine while taxiing. Additionally, they executed an in-flight medical emergency into Al Udeid due to a diabetic refugee who lost consciousness and coordinated medical care upon landing, saving the person’s life.
Meritorious Service Medal
Master. Sgt. Marjorie Butcher, medical technician
Butcher received a meritorious service medal for her outstanding achievement as a medical technician from Aug. 29-30, 2021. She displayed distinctive heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flights during August 2021 in and over Kabul, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Allies Refuge.