Air Force Maj. William Mendel was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on Monday during a ceremony at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico, according to The Eastern New Mexico News.
In December 2013, then-Capt. Mendel was stationed in Djibouti, Africa, as an aircraft commander in the 8th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, or the "Green Hornets," tasked with rescuing American citizens at a United Nations compound that was under enemy fire.
His aircraft, a CV-22 Opsrey, was hit with "ruptured fuel tanks, complete loss of largest hydraulic system and an inoperable emergency lubrication system," according to Air Force's special order obtained by The Eastern New Mexico News.
Despite all the damage, Mendel managed to save four critically injured crew members and nine passengers.
"The aircraft was barely flyable," Brig. Gen. William Holt said, "but they made it back to save severely wounded soldiers." He said Mendel's actions were "profoundly brave, [and] it's with a great deal of honor and humility that I stand here" to award you this medal.
"It really is a testament to the aircraft and the people who fly it," Mendel said, according to The Eastern New Mexico News, "we put ourselves through some really bad situations in training so that if something bad actually does happen like it did on that day, we can perform to the utmost of our abilities."
The Distinguished Flying Cross "is awarded to any officer or enlisted person of the armed forces of the United States who shall have distinguished her/himself in actual combat in support of operations by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to Nov. 11, 1918," according to the Air Force Personnel Center.
Among the recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross are then-Brig. Gen. Charles Lindbergh, aviator Amelia Earhart, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and former President George H. W. Bush.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
