The Air Force has awarded a Bronze Star Medal with Valor to SrA. Phillip King, assigned to the 95th Security Forces Squadron at Edwards AFB, Calif. During a year-long deployment to Afghanistan in 2006, King was part of a convoy going to aid Afghan forces in repelling a Taliban attack when his convoy came under attack from rocket propelled grenades and machine guns, reports A1C Julius Delos Reyes. King positioned his vehicle to cover his teammates and fired back, and even after an RPG left him with a concussion, he got up and directed Afghan forces, which finally stopped the main attack. As he led his team away, he discovered another ambush site, where more Afghan soldiers were pinned down; he worked to get them away to safety. At a rally point, King faced enemy fire as he marked the friendly position to aid close air support. There were no coalition casualties.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
