The Air Force announced in late November that the 353rd Special Operations Group at Kadena AB, Japan, has earned the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor for its “exceptionally meritorious service” from Oct. 1, 2006, to Sept. 30, 2008. This is the 10th time that the group, Air Force Special Operations Command’s only unit based in the Pacific, has won the award, and the fourth time the award has come with the “V” device for valor. “This award is a small representation of the tremendous efforts of the air commandos during the past two years,” said Col. David Mullins, 353rd SOG commander. He continued, “The contributions the men and women of the group have made to operations in multiple areas of responsibility truly deserve this recognition.” Among their numerous activities during this period, airmen of the group conducted combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, supported Republic of Philippines security forces in their fight against terrorists, and participated in numerous joint training events. In September, pararescuemen of the group also saved the lives of two injured crewmembers onboard a commercial freighter out at sea about 750 miles from Guam.
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.