The Air Force has recognized the combat actions of SSgt. Jeffrey Dicicco by awarding him a Bronze Star with Valor medal. He is a combat controller assigned to the 321st Special Tactics Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, Britain. During a deployment to Southwest Asia, Dicicco was on a combat reconnaissance patrol when the lead vehicle in his convoy came under attack. Insurgents were shooting rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at the troops from above, so Dicicco requested close air support. When the air support arrived about 10 minutes later, he helped maneuver it into position. “Over the course of the attack, I was responsible for dropping three 500-pound bombs and one 2,000-pound bomb on enemy firing positions,” he explained. By the end of the attack, there were 30 insurgents confirmed killed. (Mildenhall release by TSgt. Marelise Wood)
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.