Maj. Jeremiah Parvin, an A-10C pilot and director of operations at the 75th Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., and Capt. Aaron Cavazos, 61st Fighter Squadron weapons officer at Luke AFB, Ariz., were recently awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in Afghanistan in 2008. The two airmen responded to an urgent request for close air support from a Marine Special Operations Team under intense attack in the mountains of Afghanistan on Oct. 28, 2008. Without adequate maps of the area, the A-10 descended below a low-cloud deck to differentiate friendly from enemy forces in the rugged terrain. Parvin drew intense ground fire away from the marines by switching on the A-10’s external lights, and decimated insurgents in close proximity to the group, allowing the marines to withdraw with their casualties to safety. “You hear gunshots in the background; you hear screams of urgency in their voices. You could just tell they need help and they needed it now,” said Parvin recounting the mission at the award ceremony at Moody on Jan. 29. Cavazos was awarded his DFC during a ceremony at Luke on Jan. 16. (Luke release.) (Moody release.)
U.S. munitions have been expended at a high rate during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, prompting concerns that the Pentagon is eating into weapons stockpiles it needs to deter threats around the world. Yet the newly released $1.5 trillion defense budget request was developed before the war against Iran and…