F-16 pilots from Misawa earn 2014 Mackay Trophy for saving Yazidis

Capts. David Kroontje and Gregory Balzhiser, former F-16 pilots from Misawa Air Base, were presented the 2014 Mackay Trophy for an airstrike mission on Aug. 9, 2014 that saved thousands of Yazidis in Iraq.

Misawa pilots save Iraqi civilians, earn 2014 Mackay Trophy
Photo: Courtesy photo from U.S. Air Force

Attached to the 13th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, the two pilots flew four attacks against ISIL forces during the eight-hour mission to help evacuate more than 40,000 Yazidis from Mount Sinjar, Iraq.

They destroyed three ISIL blockades, multiple armored vehicles, observation posts, and killed dozens of ISIL fighters attacking Yazidi civilians on the mountain.

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