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Pararescue Air Force Cross Recipients
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The Air Force Cross is awarded to U.S. and Foreign military personnel and civilians who have displayed extraordinary heroism in one of the following situations: while engaged in action against a U.S. enemy, while engaged in military operations involving conflict with a foreign force, or while serving with a Friendly nation engaged in armed conflict against a force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The Air Force Cross (AFC) is awarded when the heroic actions fall just short of warranting the Congressional Medal of Honor. | ||
| Congress established the Air Force Cross in 1960. Since the beginning of Vietnam War in 1965, only twenty-two enlisted men were awarded this medal. Twenty of these medals were awarded during the Vietnam War. Ten of these twenty were awarded to Pararescuemen. This is an extraordinarily large number considering that no more than seventy-five Pararescuemen served at any one time in Vietnam or Thailand. Since the end of the Vietnam War only three additional Air Force Crosses have been awarded to an enlisted airman. Two of them went to Pararescuemen. PJ Timothy Wilkenson received the Air Force Cross for action in Somalia. PJ Jason Cunningham received an AF Cross for action in Afghanistan. | |||
Recipients name is followed by the date of the SAR mission and the location where it happened. Most names are hyperlinked to the citation for the award or a news article concerning the award.
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