CHARLESTON, W.Va. –A member of the West Virginia National Guard received a medal for his actions during Operation Allies Refuge in 2021.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. William K. McGraw received the Distinguished Flying Cross during a ceremony Sunday at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base in Charleston. This award is given to individuals who display a single act of heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight.
McGraw was a part of the largest noncombatant evacuation in U.S. Air Force history in August 2021. The evacuation took place in Kabul, Afghanistan, where hundreds of thousands of individuals were evacuated from Hamid Karzai International Airport by the U.S.
He said he accepted the award on behalf of those who have yet to be recognized, because they deserve it.
“Everyone that didn’t get recognized, because there’s still individuals out there that we’re fighting to get recognized for their actions,” McGraw said on MetroNews Midday Monday afternoon. “There’s a lot of people that were involved or did the exact same thing that I did or something very similar that didn’t get recognized, even though it’s an individual award I accept that in their behalf.”
McGraw was recognized for his heroism during aerial flight while engaged in military operations as a Phoenix Raven
He said that the Phoenix Raven program is a part of the security forces career field and was designed to help if there was inadequate security or if they didn’t trust security during these operations.
However, one of his responsibilities was to be stationed on the aircraft to ensure safety.
“We were responsible for making sure that the 500 individuals on the aircraft, we ensured the safety of the air crew and made sure that the aircraft wasn’t damaged or Internet transferred by anyone,” McGraw said.
He was on the C-17, 816TH Expeditionary Airlift Squadron during the evacuation and was the last aircraft to leave the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
McGraw said that, while it was a stressful time, it all came down to training.
“I think it goes back to the training of the entire force, when I say force I mean everybody within the department of defense, this is what we train for so when we’re put in these situations it may just seem like an average every day at work, that’s where we perform in our top level and that’s why we train the way that we do,” he said.
McGraw said that, with the four-year mark approaching, people need to continue remembering those who lost their lives during the mission.
“The one thing is that as we approach the four-year mark always remember those individuals, don’t forget who those individuals were, the sacrifices they made, and also the burden that the family carries with them to this day,” he said.