Lt. Col. Duston Ashton and Maj. Nichole Oliver, both of Air University’s LeMay Center at Maxwell AFB, Ala., on Nov. 13 received Bronze Star Medals for their meritorious service during deployments to Iraq. Ashton, an instructor in the LeMay Center’s warfighting education directorate, served for a year in Baghdad as a training program manager. His efforts resulted in Iraq’s first three student pilot training classes and the commissioning of 275 Iraqi cadets. Oliver, the joint intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance doctrine branch chief in the LeMay Center’s doctrine development directorate, was the chief of operations to the intelligence director in a joint task force in Iraq. Her intelligence support led to decisive combat operations against enemy leadership. (Maxwell report by Capt. Jenny Lovett)
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.