Overview
- Airmen from the 92nd Air Refueling Wing received Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star medals at a Fairchild ceremony Tuesday tied to Operation Midnight Hammer.
- The awards credited KC-135 crews with in-flight refueling that kept strike aircraft on task and brought them home safely, with each medal carrying a combat “C” device.
- Senior leaders said the June 2025 mission used seven B-2 bombers that dropped GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs in a 37-hour round-trip supported by dozens of tankers and more than 125 aircraft.
- About 100 Washington Air National Guard members at Fairchild were activated in early March to support the wider campaign, the Washington Military Department said.
- Reports differed on the tally of honorees, with a base release listing 15 recipients and Stars and Stripes reporting 14, as Maj. Gen. Charles Bolton praised the aircrews and the support teams before a crowd of about 300.