Piloting a USAF HH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopter, Capt. John J. Walters and his crew rescue 61 passengers and crewmen from the burning Dutch luxury liner Prinsendam in the Pacific Ocean, hoisting and airlifting them from lifeboats to a supertanker. Walters receives the 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.