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.
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.