WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Four airmen received Distinguished Flying Crosses for their actions during the 2021 evacuation from Kabul.
- The C-17A crew evacuated 450 Afghan allies while facing security threats, mountainous terrain and communication failures.
- The crew stabilized a wounded evacuee, prevented a potential riot and diverted to Kuwait after aerial refueling did not occur.
- Wing personnel also received Bronze Stars, while a deployed element previously helped earn the Gallant Unit Citation.
Four Air Force crew members received Distinguished Flying Crosses for their actions during the chaotic U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021. The awards recognized their courage and extraordinary achievement aboard a C-17A cargo aircraft.
The four airmen belonged to the 758th Airlift Squadron, 911th Airlift Wing. They received the awards during a Sept. 12 ceremony.
The recipients were Lt. Col. Eric Miller, a 911th Operations Group pilot, and Maj. Jason Mileham, the 911th Operations Support Squadron operations chief. Master Sgt. Tyler Painter, operations superintendent, and Tech. Sgt. Steven Strobel, a 758th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, were also honored.
The crew participated in Operation Allies Refuge as the U.S. military moved evacuees out of Afghanistan. The evacuation unfolded while the government supported by the United States collapsed and the Taliban rapidly took control of the country.
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Their Distinguished Flying Crosses specifically recognized actions at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 27, 2021. The airmen entered a tense and deadly environment that continued to challenge evacuation operations.
One day earlier, an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked an airport gate. The bombing killed 11 U.S. Marines, a Navy corpsman and an Army special operations soldier, along with hundreds of Afghans.
Flights nevertheless continued while thousands of people remained at the airport and sought passage out of Afghanistan. The C-17A from the 911th Airlift Wing was among the aircraft sent into the dangerous evacuation effort.
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“Navigating an extremely hazardous night airspace under the threat of small arms fire and surface-to-air missiles, the crew reached the stricken airfield. Confronted with an unstable security situation on the ground and credible suicide bomber threats, the crew improvised defensive security measures to on-load four hundred and fifty Afghan allies,” the citation reads.
The citation also described the crew’s departure from Kabul under intense pressure. “Displaying outstanding poise and demeanor under immense pressure, they executed a complex, tactical nighttime departure through mountainous terrain.”
Danger and uncertainty followed the aircraft even after it became airborne. One evacuee had been shot, forcing the crew to stabilize the wounded person during the flight.
The crew also prevented what the account described as a “potential riot” on the cargo deck. That challenge unfolded while the airmen were already managing the wounded evacuee and the broader demands of the packed evacuation flight.
Additional trouble arrived when the aircraft’s in flight satellite communications failed. A planned aerial refueling also never occurred, further complicating the mission after the departure from Kabul.
The aircrew responded with a “decisive emergency divert” to Kuwait. They safely landed the C-17A at Ali Al Salem Air Base after navigating the accumulating problems.
The Sept. 12 event also included the presentation of Bronze Star medals to members of the wing. Among those named were Lt. Col. Bennett Reid, Lt. Col. Andrew Williams, Maj. Nicholas Hoth, Chief Master Sgt. Justin Hovancik and Senior Master Sgt. Domenic Mash.
Other named Bronze Star recipients were Master Sgt. Michael Claar, Master Sgt. Dennis Saltzman, Master Sgt. Hunter Stom and Master Sgt. Shealyn Brown. Those individual awards followed a Gallant Unit Citation involving a deployed element of the wing a year earlier.
The Gallant Unit Citation is among the highest awards available to a unit and is roughly equivalent to the Silver Star. It is the Air Force’s second highest unit award and recognizes “extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy of the United States.”
According to the unit citation, members of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing “provided vital refueling and staging for offensive strikes that facilitated coalition operations via ISR, close air support, and armed overwatch for operations Rough Rider, Spartan Shield, and Inherent Resolve.” Those operations took place in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
The expeditionary wing, including personnel from the 911th Airlift Wing, handled 72% of the cargo and personnel moving into and out of the area. The wider force also participated in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 attack on Iranian nuclear sites.
That attack was followed by ballistic missile and drone attacks against U.S. positions. Together, the awards highlighted the wing’s work across evacuation missions, expeditionary operations and actions conducted under direct threats.
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