Maj. Charles McMullen, an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter pilot with the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., received the Silver Star Medal for his gallantry under fire during a rescue mission near Nad E Ali, Afghanistan, in 2009. Gen. Mike Hostage, head of Air Combat Command, presented McMullen with the award during a ceremony at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., earlier this month. Then-Captain McMullen led a task force of two Pave Hawks and two British Apache helicopters that extracted two wounded British soldiers on Dec. 28, 2009, in the face of heavy insurgent ground fire. At one point during the mission, McMullen accelerated his HH-60 into the line of fire between the other Pave Hawk, now pinned down after recovering the first wounded Brit, providing a means of escape for it. “I figured if they started shooting at me, they weren’t going to take out my wingman, who had no way to defend himself,” recounted McMullen. The Silver Star award ceremony took place on April 3. McMullen received the Distinguished Flying Cross last year for a different mission. (Langley-Eustis report by SrA. Jason J. Brown)
Air Force Changes Rules for Pregnant Aircrew—Again
April 3, 2025
The Air Force is changing its policy for pregnant aircrew, generally reverting to rules set in 2019 that barred female aviators from flying during the first trimester—or from flying in aircraft with ejection seats at all—due to potential risks to the pilot and her unborn fetus.