It’s often overlooked in the rush to acquire extravagantly sophisticated equipment, but the traditional 24-hour command post is alive and well and still performing vital command, control, and communications functions whether at stateside bases or in the thick of things in Iraq. Its main task is coordinating emergency actions, but one of the primary, day-in-day-out jobs of command post controllers, like the ones in the 506th Air Expeditionary Group at Kirkuk AB, Iraq, is “flight following” all inbound and outbound traffic, says MSgt. Gary Kaczmarek. Controllers work flight details with various base functions to ensure the aircraft spend minimal time on the ground.
Seven F-22 Raptor pilots have recently been awarded one of the military’s highest decorations for their actions during operations in the Middle East. Six of the pilots were decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.