CHARLESTON, W. Va. – U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Keith McGraw, a member of the 130th Airlift Wing Security Forces Squadron, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Combat Device during a ceremony on August 3.
Brig. Gen. David Cochran, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, West Virginia National Guard, recognized McGraw for his heroic efforts in the events surrounding Operation Allies Refuge.
“It was a great honor to be able to preside over the Distinguished Flying Cross medal ceremony for Sgt. McGraw today," Brig. Gen. Cochran said. “He showed valor, determination, courage and heroism in Operation Allies Refuge.”
The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded for acts of valor, courage and heroism during aerial flight while under combat conditions. This extraordinary distinction is given to service members whose actions exceed routine operations. The use of the combat “C” device attached to the medal is determined by the service member’s direct exposure to hostile action or under threat of a hostile action.
McGraw was recognized for his efforts to rescue U.S. personnel and secure highly sensitive equipment during the withdrawal operations in Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021. Flying as a Phoenix Raven aboard a C-17 Globemaster III with the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, 385th Air Expeditionary Group, out of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, McGraw was a part of a mission that advanced to Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, despite the presence of opposing forces.
The Phoenix Ravens are highly trained Air Mobility Command Security Forces defenders assigned to protect aircraft and aircrews during high-threat missions and uncertain environments.
“It’s been an honor to represent the Raven program, the state of West Virginia and the best wing in the Air National Guard,” McGraw said. “This may be an individual award, but that was a total team effort.”
Upon arrival into the airspace surrounding Hamid Karzai International Airport, McGraw observed air defense artillery, flares and heavy machine guns on the approach. Though the airfield was unsecured, each crew precisely landed its aircraft and conducted a set of pre-briefed ground maneuvers. In just less than 60 minutes, McGraw secured the area and loaded the remaining U.S. personnel and their highly sensitive equipment onto the aircraft.
Though the airfield was compromised, McGraw and his aircrew were able to safely take off, becoming one of the last five aircraft to depart Hamid Karzai International Airport.
McGraw’s leadership, courage and decisiveness ultimately ensured the success of Allies Refuge, which airlifted more than 124,000 individuals. This operation made history, becoming the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in United States history.
“We need to focus on readiness, our lethality and our warrior ethos,” Brig. Gen. Cochran said. “That is highly depicted in the character that Sgt. McGraw showed in the operation that he conducted.”
As the Air National Guard continues to operate in complex environments that are constantly changing, we can look to examples like McGraw, who demonstrate the Air Force Core Values and seek to live out the West Virginia Adjutant General’s motto of “Press On.”