CMSgt. James Lucas, 48th Fighter Wing command chief at RAF Lakenheath, Britain, received a Bronze Star Medal for his actions during a deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, as superintendent of the 732nd Air Expeditionary Group. Col. Jay Silveria, 48th FW commander, awarded Lucas the medal during a July 27 ceremony. Lucas was recognized for his accomplishments in helping the expeditionary group receive, train, equip, deploy, and redeploy 1,500 combat airmen, the group’s largest rotation to date, and for his participation in outside-the-wire combat vehicle and foot patrols. “I feel very privileged and honored,” said Lucas of the award. He added, “I have never been more proud of my service or to be an airman, than in the company of the people I was working with.” (Lakenheath report by SrA. Kristopher Levasseur)
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…