USAF announces it had upgraded the award of a Bronze Star with Valor to a Silver Star for MSgt. James Calfee, who was killed in combat during a firefight March 11, 1968, at Lima Site 85, a top secret radar facility in Laos. Calfee was seriously injured when North Vietnamese troops stormed the site, but he continued firing to enable five of his fellow airmen to reach a rescue helicopter. He died at the site. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) presented the new medal to Calfee’s sisters during a private ceremony in his office Aug. 16, 2012. The Air Force on Oct. 15 formally recognized Calfee’s Silver Star during a memorial ceremony at Barksdale AFB, La., for the Lima Site airmen.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.