A New Way to Honor Airmen in Combat:

The Air Force has created a special medal to “recognize the reality” that airmen are coming under enemy fire, particularly in nontraditional ways, says Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, USAF’s top personnel officer. The new award—the Air Force Combat Action Medal—will recognize airmen who have directly served in active combat, whether on the ground or in the air. Award of the medal, which will first appear in April, will start with a first-person account of combat action, and then proceed through the chain of command, reaching the commander of air force forces for final approval.