HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — Members of the 388th Fighter Wing were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses and Bronze Stars for historic combat operations in foreign territory during operations in Iran.
Aim high, fly, fight, win.
The Air Force slogan that truly holds weight for men and women honored for doing just that: flying, fighting, winning.
Last week, nearly two dozen men and women at Hill Air Force Base were honored for their heroism while protecting our country in foreign territory.
"We have to maintain a constant state of readiness here at Hill Air Force Base because we never know when we're going to get that call to be able to support," says Col. Christopher Hubbard, acting 388th Fighter Wing commander.
Two operations overseas gave way to 21 of Hill Air Force Base's finest receiving top honors from the Air Force, one of them being Operation Midnight Hammer, which the military said targeted nuclear facilities in Iran.
F-35s from the base were the first into enemy airspace in Iran in that attack on June 22, 2025 and the first time their F-35s were used in combat.
"It just happens that these operations were more contested than usual, which means that the enemy had the capability to target us and other forces out there and that's why it was significant for these folks to go into harm’s way and that's why they earned these medals,” says Hubbard.
“The F-35s in the 388th Fighter Wing were escorting B-2 Spirit bombers to target Iran's nuclear program. This is what we called our Wild Weasel mission, which is a heritage back to the Vietnam era when pilots would go in and be the first one sent to enemy airspace to go and see what the enemy defenses were capable of, neutralize those defenses and let the other assets in to do their job."
One lieutenant colonel, two majors, and three captains from the 388th Fighter Wing received Distinguished Flying Cross medals, the award first given to Charles Lindbergh in 1927 for his 3,600-mile flight across the Atlantic.
15 others from the wing were honored with the Bronze Star medal, an award that recognizes acts of heroism performed in ground combat.
A true example that there is no ‘I’ in team.
"It takes a team effort. It's not just these individuals who are accomplishing amazing tasks. No one person can do the mission by themselves,” says Hubbard. “It takes the entire team to be able to do this. So while it certainly reflects greatly upon them, it also reflects upon the greater team here at Hill Air Force Base and what we were able to accomplish together."
