Capt. Jeffrey S. Feinstein, a WSO in the backseat of an F-4, achieved ace status by shooting down his fifth MiG-21, becoming the third and final USAF ace of the Vietnam War. He is still the most recent ace in Air Force history.
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.