The Air Force has bestowed the 2006 Col. James Jabara Award for excellence in airmanship upon Capt. John Vargas, a 1996 graduate of the Air Force Academy. Vargas, an F-16 pilot with the 555th Fighter Squadron, Aviano AB, Italy, has completed 45 combat missions, comprising more than 200 hours in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Joint Forge. He demonstrated his skill when he flew at high speed and low altitude—expending flares—directly over enemy forces attacking a coalition convoy, allowing the convoy to move to safety.
On Jan. 4, a dozen U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors departed Puerto Rico, where they had landed following their participation in Operation Absolute Resolve. Those fighters appeared to have flown directly from their home base at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., to participate in the operation and returned there two days…
