Bronze Star for a Chaplain’s Assistant—55 Years Later:

Oct. 5, 2005

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The Air Force recognized the service of SSgt. Merle Y. Strang, a chaplain’s assistant assigned in 1950 to 5th Air Force in South Korea, by awarding a Bronze Star posthumously to his brother Homer Strang in Brewer, Maine. Sergeant Strang assisted with a Korean War airlift that saved nearly 1,000 orphans.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Air Force to Inspect All Dorms for ‘Clean, Comfortable, Safe’ Living Conditions

New Report: Air Force Can’t Afford ‘Runaway’ R&D, Needs More Aircraft

Northrop Checks Off Sentinel Milestones While Still Working on Program Restructure

Northrop: ‘Multiple‘ B-21s in Ground Test, Production Increase in Negotiations

Related

How New Religious Accommodation Rules for Beards Could Impact Airmen’s Careers

Oct. 23, 2025
Airmen, Guardians, and other service members that wear beards for religious reasons will be deemed nondeployable as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sweeping crackdown on shaving waivers—a move that would essentially end their careers and one that several former Air Force officials say may go too far in trying…

Space Force Plans $905 Million for Maneuverable GEO Program

Oct. 23, 2025
The Space Force expects to award $905 million in contracts over the next five years through a new Maneuverable GEO program, which aims to form a commercial fleet of mobile communication satellites in geosynchronous orbit.  

New Report: Air Force Can’t Afford ‘Runaway’ R&D, Needs More Aircraft

Oct. 23, 2025
For more than a decade, the Pentagon have steadily invested more and more of its budget in research and development compared to procurement—resulting in a “smaller, older, and less capable force than it needs,” according to a new analysis from the Center for a New American Security think tank.