The Air Force has recognized the combat actions of SSgt. Jeffrey Dicicco by awarding him a Bronze Star with Valor medal. He is a combat controller assigned to the 321st Special Tactics Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, Britain. During a deployment to Southwest Asia, Dicicco was on a combat reconnaissance patrol when the lead vehicle in his convoy came under attack. Insurgents were shooting rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at the troops from above, so Dicicco requested close air support. When the air support arrived about 10 minutes later, he helped maneuver it into position. “Over the course of the attack, I was responsible for dropping three 500-pound bombs and one 2,000-pound bomb on enemy firing positions,” he explained. By the end of the attack, there were 30 insurgents confirmed killed. (Mildenhall release by TSgt. Marelise Wood)
The design of the launch facilities for the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are likely to undergo major revision, posing yet another challenge for the much-delayed and over-budget program to modernize the land-based component of America’s nuclear triad, officials said.