T
he Air Force has awarded a Silver Star medal, the third highest award for valor, to TSgt. Scott Innis, a combat controller with the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron, an Air Force Special Operations Command unit at McChord AFB, Wash., for his actions during a firefight in Afghanistan in 2006. Innis served with an Army Special Forces unit, spent 24-hours lying atop an observation tower at a forward operating base under heavy attack, calling in close air support and medical evacuation flights. He repeatedly risked enemy fire as he sat up to check coordinates and gauge CAS effectiveness. Innis also received a Bronze Star with Valor for his 2007 deployment. At the same ceremony, fellow combat controller TSgt. Jason Dryer, received a Bronze Star with Valor medal for his actions during a firefight in Afghanistan, where he directed close air support by an AC-130 gunship on enemy forces within 70 meters of his Special Forces teammates. (AFSOC report by 1st Lt. Amy Cooper)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.