The Air Force has awarded two Bronze Stars and one Purple Heart to three combat controllers of the 720th Operations Support Squadron from Hurlburt Field, Fla. TSgt. Ryan Stanhope and SSgt. David Overton received Bronze Stars at a special base ceremony. Stanhope served as the primary combat controller with a joint task force supporting Operation Enduring Freedom when his convoy was ambushed; he arranged critical medical evacuation assets while coordinating close air support—saving the lives of his teammates in the process. Overton was involved in 21 combat patrols while attached to an Army Special Forces unit and, during one, he was responsible for vectoring a flight of helicopters onto enemy forces, leading to the capture of 35 militiamen and a high value target.
The Space Force team responsible for developing advanced battle management capabilities wants to create a better pipeline for mature space domain awareness tools to move from the lab into the hands of operators.
