An MH-53 Pave Low helicopter crew (Knife 04) from the 20th Special Operations Squadron rescues another 20th SOS MH-53 crew whose helicopter had gone down while the two were on a rescue mission in extremely hazardous weather conditions in the mountains of Afghanistan. Knife 04 received the 2001 Mackay Trophy.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.