The 
Combat Control School at Pope Field, N.C., dedicated bronze busts of Capt. Barry Crawford, TSgt. John Chapman, SSgt. Robert Gutierrez, and SrA. Zachary Rhyner—four combat controllers who received the Air Force Cross for valor in Afghanistan. The dedication took place during a Dec. 6 ceremony in the school’s museum, according to Pope’s Dec. 14 release. “This display will serve as a permanent reminder to all the airmen, families, and public who pass through these halls of the sacrifices and heroism of those who have come before them,” said Col. Robert Armfield, commander of the 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Fla., who spoke at the event. Crawford and Gutierrez attended the unveiling, along with Chapman’s widow, representing her husband who was killed during a rescue mission in Afghanistan in 2002. The school’s heritage foundation and the Combat Control Association donated the busts, states the release. (Pope report by Maj. Lisa Ray)
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
