Eleven members of Tennessee’s 134th Air Refueling Wing were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on Saturday for their “heroic actions” during a flight mission conducted earlier this year in Israel.
On April 13, members of the 134th deployed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar completed Operation True Promise, which was a coordinated defense effort in response to a historic missile and drone assault by Iran on Israel.
The attack, which involved over 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial systems in a single strike, was intercepted by members of the 134th aircrews who enabled U.S. and allied fighter jets to prevent massive casualties.
The 134th crews “offloaded hundreds of thousands of pounds of fuel, enabling the F-15s to intercept and neutralize the majority of the threats” over the course of the mission, according to the 134th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs.
Approximately 99 percent of the missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted and no lives were lost, Israeli military reports later confirmed.
Saturday’s ceremony, held at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, honored Lt. Col. Willis Parker, Maj. Lance Welch, Maj. Stacy Sells, Maj. Cody Gaby, Capt. Andrew Weber, Capt. James Spearman, Capt. Joshua Johnson, Tech. Sgt. Hunter Ricks, Tech. Sgt. Gage Seymour, Tech. Sgt. Joshua Osborne, and Senior Airman Jonah Parham for their roles during the operation.
“These Airmen exemplify the highest standards of courage and professionalism. Their actions not only safeguarded lives but also demonstrated the strength of our commitment to our allies and global stability,” U.S. Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Lee Hartley, Tennessee Assistant Adjutant General said during Saturday’s ceremony.
The Distinguished Flying Cross was authorized by Congress in 1926 and is awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement during aerial flight – a distinction that recognizes acts that “go beyond routine operations.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “134th Air Refueling Wing Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross” by USAF.
