Members of a C-17 Globemaster crew who helped deliver a baby in the middle of a chaotic Afghanistan evacuation flight last year will be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross next week, as the Air Force continues to clear a backlog of awards related to the mission.
Capt. Dennis Conner, Capt. Leslie Green, Lt. Col. Wesley Adams and Tech. Sgt. Leah Schmidt will be recognized Nov. 21 by Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, for helping deliver the baby.
“We are proud of the accomplishments of the dedicated crew and thankful that they are being recognized in such a distinctive way,” Col. John F. Robinson, Charleston's 315th Airlift Wing commander, told Military.com in an emailed statement Friday.
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Since 1927, when it was first awarded by then-President Calvin Coolidge, the Distinguished Flying Cross has been given to service members for acts of heroism during aerial operations.
Typically, Air Mobility Command service members assist combat operations indirectly and do not often see the kind of action that makes them eligible for the award. But last month, the Air Force announced it would be awarding 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 12 Bronze Star Medals and one Gallant Unit Citation to airmen who assisted with the largest non-combat air evacuation operation in U.S. history.
Minihan will award a total…
