For troops in combat, close air support is often the difference between victory and defeat.

In this case, an Air Force F-16 fighter pilot from the Oklahoma Air National Guard is being hailed as a hero and awarded for his actions in 2018.

“If Maj. [Michael] Coloney had not executed his F-16 strikes flawlessly and decisively, more friendly lives would have certainly been lost,”

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Major Coloney has since been promoted to lieutenant colonel and has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. This prestigious award is the fourth-highest award for combat valor in the US.

“Friendly forces were completely surrounded and started taking fire from all sides,” Jones said. “The compound developed into an intense troops in contact situation.”

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