The Air Force has awarded Bronze Star medals to Lt. Col. James Boles Jr. and 1st Lt. Brian Rutt for their exceptional service while deployed to Iraq. Boles is chief of the Electronic Warfare Contracting Division of the 542nd Combat Sustainment Group at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga. He received his award for his year-long service as chief of the Joint Regional Contracting Center in Mosul, where he oversaw 732 contracting actions, some while his eight-person team came under direct mortar attack. Boles said of his deployment, “One thing you learn is that contracting is a catalyst for change; things are happening every day where soldiers are trying to get supplies, services, and construction done.” Also in Iraq for a year-long deployment, Rutt, who is a member of the 52nd Security Forces Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, led 59 airmen working USAF’s Police Transition Team mission. He conducted 187 combat patrols, spending some 1,500 manhours outside the wire as part of his mission to help train some 3,000 Iraqi police. Rutt described the mission as “uncommon” for USAF security forces, saying, “some people still don’t understand the depth of what our guys did.” (Robins report by Wayne Crenshaw; Spangdahlem report by SrA. Clay Murray)
Earlier this week, the People’s Republic of China confirmed it is halting its nuclear arms control talks with the U.S., in retaliation for the U.S. continuing to sell arms to Taiwan. The move reinforces a “pattern of behavior” from Beijing, experts say.