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Gallantry under fire: RAF Lakenheath honors decorated Airmen for repelling mass Iranian drone attack
From left, U.S. Air Force Gen. James Hecker, U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa commander, Lt. Col. Curtis Culver, 494th Fighter Squadron, Lt. Col. Timothy Causey, 494th FS commander, and Col. Jack Arthaud, 48th Fighter Wing commander, stand during the presentation of the Distinguished Flying Cross to Culver and Causey during a ceremony at RAF Lakenheath, Nov. 12, 2024. Airmen from the 494th Fighter Squadron and 494th Fighter Generation Squadron were recognized for their contributions during a defensive operation against hundreds of one-way attack drones, formally known as one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and missiles launched from Iran and Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen against Israel April 13-14, 2024, while deployed in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.
Photo by: Senior Airman Seleena Muhammad-Ali
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Gallantry under fire: RAF Lakenheath honors decorated Airmen for repelling mass Iranian drone attack
U.S. Air Force Capt. Lacie Hester, 494th Fighter Squadron F-15E weapon systems operator, is congratulated by fellow decoration recipients after receiving the Silver Star during a ceremony at RAF Lakenheath, England, Nov. 12, 2024. The Silver Star is the United States Armed Forces third-highest military decoration for valor in combat and was presented based on the aircrew’s gallantry in action repelling the Iranian attack as the airborne mission commanders directing coalition forces during the unprecedented large-scale attack against Israel.
Photo by: Senior Airman Seleena Muhammad-Ali
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Gallantry under fire: RAF Lakenheath honors decorated Airmen for repelling mass Iranian drone attack
U.S. Air Force Gen. James Hecker, U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa commander, awards the Silver Star medal to Maj. Benjamin Coffey, 494th Fighter Squadron F-15E pilot, during a ceremony at RAF Lakenheath, Nov. 12, 2024. The Silver Star is the United States Armed Forces third-highest military decoration for valor in combat and was presented based on the aircrew’s gallantry in action repelling the Iranian attack as the airborne mission commanders directing coalition forces during the unprecedented large-scale attack against Israel.
Photo by: Senior Airman Seleena Muhammad-Ali
Airmen from the 494th Fighter Squadron and 494th Fighter Generation Squadron were recognized during a ceremony Nov. 12 at RAF Lakenheath, England, for their contributions during a defensive operation against hundreds of one-way attack drones, formally known as one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles, and missiles launched from Iran and Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen against Israel April 13-14, 2024, while deployed in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.
Members of the squadrons fought in the largest air-to-air enemy engagement in over 50 years, beginning April 13 and ending in the early hours of April 14.
The historical achievement drove a direct call from President Joe Biden to the deployed team, lauding their exceptional airmanship and skill.
Gen. James Hecker, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa commander, presided over the ceremony along with Col. James Arthaud, 48th Fighter Wing commander. During the ceremony, they awarded two Silver Stars, six Distinguished Flying Crosses with the valor device, four Distinguished Flying Crosses with the combat device, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, seven Air and Space Commendation Medals and seven Air and Space Achievement Medals.
On April 13 and throughout the morning of April 14, a mix of U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles and other defensive assets successfully engaged and destroyed more than 80 one-way attack UAVs intended to strike Israel from Iran and Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
In total, Iran and its proxy forces launched more than 300 UAVs and missiles. Coalition Forces and Israel destroyed nearly 99 percent of all inbound weapons and systems.
F-15Es from RAF Lakenheath and Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, as part of the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, were vital during the fight that intercepted and engaged aerial threats as part of the coalition’s robust Integrated Air and Missile Defense Network leveraging air, ground, sea, and space-based capabilities.
Lt. Col. Timothy Causey, 494th FS commander, said his team’s success was due to their ability to remain focused and carry out what they’ve been trained to do.
“We all fell into an execution rhythm: call, shoot, and confirm the target was destroyed before we moved on to the next task we had to accomplish to keep everyone safe,” Causey said.
Gallantry in action
The highest level of decoration awarded during the ceremony, the Silver Star, was presented to F-15E instructor pilot, Maj. Benjamin Coffey, and F-15E instructor weapon systems officer, Capt. Lacie Hester. The Silver Star is the United States Armed Forces third-highest military decoration for valor in combat.
The Silver Stars were presented based on the aircrew’s gallantry in action repelling the Iranian attack as the airborne mission commanders directing coalition forces during the unprecedented large-scale attack against Israel.
The team engaged the enemy multiple times throughout the night despite having severe aircraft emergencies and while under falling debris at the expeditionary base caused by hostile fire from the enemy.
“Although intelligence provided the numbers of how many (one-way attack) drones we could expect to see, it was still surprising to see them all,” said Hester.
Additionally, at great personal risk, Coffey and Hester engaged low-altitude one-way attack UAVS in the complete darkness of night with the air-to-air gatling gun of the F-15E after they expended all their air-to-air missiles.
He went on to express the challenges the mission presented and how the teams worked in tandem.
“We have the pilots working the air-to-air radar, (to) make sure they don't hit the ground, they don't hit their element leads and (we’re) employing and we start to get another data point and another data point and another data point.”
Hester is also the first woman in the Air Force to receive the Silver Star and only the 10th woman in the Dept. of Defense to receive the prestigious decoration.
Other aircrew recognized during the ceremony received Distinguished Flying Crosses for their commitment to their mission, flying their F-15Es through a complex and dangerous airspace filled with engagements by active air defense systems and falling debris multiple times that night.
Alarm Red: Generating airpower under fire
The partnership between the 494th FS's pilots and FGS was essential to the flying squadron's operational success. While pilots rely on precision and quick decision-making in the cockpit, their confidence and effectiveness are built on their trust in the maintainers and other ground support teams who ensure each aircraft is mission ready – even under combat conditions.
That evening the 494th FGS, represented by 66 Airmen, launched 14 F-15E sorties, including scrambling six alert aircraft amid a backdrop of active base defenses destroying enemy targets overhead.
“People, mission. People, mission – that’s all that was in my head,” said Master Sgt. Timothy Adams, lead production superintendent for the 494th FGS that evening. “People first, keep them safe. Make sure they’re doing what they need to do and safe. I was just focused on everything going around. I didn’t have time to stop and look up.”
Maj. Clayton Wicks, operations supervisor, and Adams were awarded the Bronze Star, a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the military for heroic or meritorious service in combat, for their actions that evening to ensure every combat-capable aircraft was in the fight and ensure the airfield remained viable for operations.
“It still gives me chills when I think about how well the team worked together,” said Adams. “I wasn’t the linchpin of that. I was just the guy holding the radio, the node between ops and maintenance. The team is who made it happen. The APG [aircraft maintenance] driver, the weapons teams, the POL [fuels], all those people working together, not running, not dropping the hoses, not just freaking out and worried about their own lives. How could you not be proud of that?”
The success of the evening was a result of integrated planning and training across aircrew, maintenance, logistics, munitions and intelligence Liberty Airmen, both at home station and while deployed.
